The Difficult Adventures of the Doctor's Daughter
by princess-katie
Summary: Lily, the Doctor's Daughter, is finally happily married to love of her life, Captain Jack Harkness. However, with something possessing every child on Earth, and the return of Lily's most feared enemy on the way, it's going to be their toughest time ever.
1. Introduction

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

**Author's Note: This is the sixth in a series, and the first five are available from my profile  
If you haven't read the first five, basically the Doctor's daughter, Lily, travelled with him. She met Jack, fell in love with him and they got together in series 1. Got separated in Parting of the Ways when Jack died and were reunited in Utopia. Then there was the Year That Never Was, after which Lily chose to stay in Cardiff with Jack. Series two pf Torchwood happened with Lily there - she's been at Torchwood about a year now.  
Lily regenerated during Exit Wounds after being shot by Gray while saving Tosh and Owen. She and Jack got married after Doctor Who's Journey's End, during which Rose, Jackie, Pete and their son never went back to the parallel universe.**

**This will follow Torchwood Children of Earth and include Sarah Jane's wedding and some of the Doctor Who specials - The End of Time/Master's Return.**

**This first chapter is written in first person but the rest will be in third. This is just an introduction and explains the story so far. **

Chapter One

My name is Lily and right now, I'm the happiest I've ever been.

I guess I should start by saying that I'm not your average person. In fact I could be the least average person you'd ever meet, unless you've already met my dad. Because then I'd the the second least.

While most people are humans living on Earth for about 80 years, watching telly and eating chips, my life has always been very different. I've spent about 200 (maybe 205 or 210 ish) years travelling around in time and space, backwards, forwards, anywhere we want to go, because we have a time machine spaceship.

Oh, and my dad and I aren't human. We're the last two Time Lords - though I suppose I'd be a Time Lady if we were going to get technical about it. There used to be loads of us living on a big burnt orange planet named Gallifrey but the time war took everyone else away. I was really young when that happened, so I can't really remember it. All my life has been travelling in the TARDIS.

My dad - the Doctor - is 900. The reason we can live so long is this little trick we have called regeneration. We can literally change our bodies when we're dying. He's in his tenth regeneration now - he's tall, thin, dark messy hair, looks about 36 or 37.

As for me, I'm still in my first regeneration. I look about 24, I'm quite short, got bright blue eyes and straight black hair which reaches just past my shoulder. For the amount of trouble we get into, it's sometimes a bit unbelieveable that I'm in my first regneration, but it's probably because my dad's so protective.

I love travelling in time, but it hasn't always been the best of times. There was a time, a while back when it all went horribly wrong.

It started off good, turned bad, got worse, got better, worse and not it's better. I guess that's really confusing, so I'll just tell you the whole story.

Dad and I were in London, 2005, when we met Rose, this young London girl. There was a bit of trouble and when we got through it, and it was over, we realised we got on with Rose really well. She was friendly, funny, and just dead nice. We asked her to travel with us and she did, so we quickly became friends. It soon became clear that Dad and Rose were perfect for each other - clear to me at least, even if they did nothing about it.

As we travelled - Face of Boe, Gelth, gaskmask people, Slitheen - I started to feel like a third wheel because of Dad and Rose and how they were sometimes. I felt like I was in the way. But then I met him, and it was perfect.

He was the man who's changed my life, and who's I'm going to spend the rest of my life with. He made me forget the trouble of a time lord being in love with a human. He was the first man I ever fell in love with, and he's the only one.

His name was Captain Jack Harkness. No, not was, is. I was hanging from a barrage balloon in the middle of the 1941 Blitz, and this stranger saved me and took me to his ship. He was this dashing Captain, and we danced ontop of his spaceship, tethered up to Big Ben. We drank champagne and danced to Glenn Miller. He was a flirt, and a conman, and I wasn't going to fall for it.

But then he started travelling and he changed a little. He was still the same person, but he was different too. We started to get closer and I found myself really falling for him. We were in Cardiff one night - there was a Slitheen on the loose, and we had to stop her opening the lift. Jack and I had a kiss by the bay in Cardiff. There was champagne there, too.

I had doubts about being with him, but we had a chat, and Jack managed to push all those worries away, and we were together.

We had about four or five months (it's hard to keep track of time when you're travelling in the TARDIS) but in those few months we were so close and so happy. It was better than I'd ever imagined it would be, even if we didn't tell Rose or my dad. I was worried he'd go off on one.

The day I told my dad, he wasn't happy but they were bigger problems. Just after we told him, something went wrong with the TARDIS and we ended up on this horrible Game Station. There were Daleks taking people away. I never liked Daleks and that made me hate them even more.

The Daleks invaded where we were and Jack and I got seperated. He was on a different floor, on his own. I knew we weren't going to make it out of here and I tried to say goodbye, but he hugged me and kissed me and promised me it wasn't the end. Then they killed him, and I wasn't there. I got to him afterwards, held his dead body, beause I was too late.

The Daleks were finished off when Rose absorbed the Time Vortex, and Dad had to take that energy and ended up regenerating. I wanted to take Jack's dead body with us, but Dad said we had to get going, since he was regenerating. Afterwards I tried to get Dad to take me back for the body or to save him, but he said it was too risky.

I hated the thought of leaving him there, but I didn't have much of a choice. Dad hadn't been happy when he found out about me and Jack, because he said Jack was no good and would just hurt me, but when he saw he grieving, I think he knew I'd really loved Jack, and we hadn't been messing around.

It was so hard, but what choice did I have other than to carry on? I knew Jack wouldn't have wanted me to be miserable - he'd want me to be brave and to carry on.

So the three of us kept travelling- we went to new Earth, met the Face of Boe again, met up with Sarah Jane again - that was good, because I got to teach English for a while. We even went to a parallel universe - Rose's dad was still alive, Mickey's gran was still alive, and Jack was alive. I was thrilled but he wasn't my Jack - he was married to some guy named Ianto. Typical.

Then we ended up in London and things went very wrong again - for me, but more for my dad.

To cut a long story short, there were all these ghosts over the world, and we had to investigate. We ended up at Torchwood One, at Canary Wharf. They were scavengers - horrible really. They'd caught this big ark, but when it opened, it turned out there were stupid Daleks in it. Oh, and the ghosts were really cybermen. Brilliant.

Those from the parallle universe came through and dad said he'd have to open the void to et the daleks and cybermen sucked back in. Problem was, _we _were covered in void stuff too. Dad tried to send Rose to the parallel universe because Mickey and her mum and dad were there, but she loved him too much to leave.

We had to hold onto some clamps when the void opened, and Rose lost her grip. I tried to reach for her, but she was too far away. Her hands slipped again, and she was going to be sucked into the void. At the last minute, parallel Pete came and saved her, transported them both to safety, but then the walls sealed.

Dad was devasted - broken. He wasn't the same, and he still misses her like mad. He managed to get this projection going to say goodbye, and while he was going that, I helped this man from out of the rubble - Ianto. Not the parallel one I'd met. The real Ianto Jones.

I gave my name as Lily Harkness because I'd reverted to using Jack's surname as a way to honour him since he was dead and all. I suggested he look for a different branch of Torchwood to work at, and he told me there was one run by a "Capt-" but then he got cut off becaue dad was ready to go. As I left, he shouted something I didn't catch, and it was months later before I'd realise the significance of it.

So there we were - the two of us. Dad was devasted, since he hadn't had chance to tell her he loved her, and then it was just me and him again

Straight after losing Rose, this woman ended up in the TARDIS - Donna, her name was. Completely mental, but really funny. Once she was sorted out, we asked her to come with us, but she said no. She told us we had to find someone though, to look after us both - we were both incomplete - I needed Jack, he needs Rose.

We _did _find someone else, not long after. A hospital got transported to the Moon by Judoon, and we were in it. We met a medical student named Martha Jones. She was quite nice, though I wasn't too sure of her at first because she seemed to really like my Dad and I knew he was made just for Rose.

Martha ended up travelling with us, and I found that after a while, I warmed to her. She could never replace Rose, but she was something. We went and saw Shakespeare (lovely man - I married him once, though it didn't last long) and we went to New Earth, where the Face of Boe told me something very interesting - I got told that Jack was still alive.

I was completely thrilled, and my first thought was for finding him again. But then I foundout that my dad had known he was alive all along. I was furious with him and there was a huge argument - I felt so betrayed, but after a while we made up, because he's my dad, and he's always been there for me, even if he was wrong this time.

We kept on travelling and everywhere we went I asked people if they knew of a Jack Harkness. No-one did but I was determined I'd find him again one day, because I needed him one day.

Then one night, I had a dream. I remembered meeting Ianto in Canary Wharf, and I suddenly remembered what he'd said. " Run by a guy named Capt-" and " is that any relation to-"

I was certain it had to be Jack, so we went to Cardiff. It was brilliant - Jack came running towards the TARDIS but it took off. We ended up at the end of the universe. Stupid place to be really, but Jack was there. I hugged him and kissed him and we told each other we loved each other, and it was brilliant. I'd dreamed of being with him again, and it didn't matter where we were becuase it was perfect.

Having him back was the best thing ever.

Of course, it couldn't stay perfect for long. I still had Jack, but we were faced with an evil time lord trying to take over the world - the Master. I'd never met him before, but my dad had told me stories, and I knew I didn't want to meet him. Unfortunately, we ended up as captives on his ship.

Martha managed to get off and had to go around trying to save the world by spreading the Doctor's name, but the rest of us were stuck on the ship with the Master. He really was every bit as evil as my Dad had always told me.

He forced Martha's family to be slaves, locked Jack up and killed him over and over again, aged my dad and made him a crippled old man, and as for me ... it hurts to even think about it really. He locked me in a bedroom and left me there for a while.

Then he announced that he wanted pure-blooded, time lord children. I'm the only female Gallifreyan left, so he decided he was going to make me pregnant with his child. I was disgusted at the thought, but he intended to do it whether I consented or not.

It was awful and he went ahead with his plan. He did it in front of Jack - pinning me to the walls, too strong for me to fight him off. Jack was in chains and couldn't get out - nothing he could do.

It went on for almost four months but then I managed to escape. It was unbelieveable, and I was in such a state, but I managed to get to Martha, and help her in her work

The year ended, the countdown was over, and it was time to go back to the Valiant this was over a year ago.

I was terrified about going back, bu I was going to see Jack and my Dad again, so I knew I'd be aright. When we met the Master again, I wanted him to pay for what he'd done to me - his plan hadn't suceeded, but not for lack of trying. I caught him off guard and hit him a couple of times, gave him a split lip. I was quite proud of that

On the Valiant, I hugged Jack and I was so glad to be with him again. The Master's plan was foiled, the paradox machine destroyed, and time reverted back, so we were the only ones who'd ever know it happened.

Lucy shot the Master and I felt like he deserved it. I wanted him to pay for what had happened. I took the gun from her, and I was going to shoot him myself, I really was. But I didn't. I wa starting to lose my nerve, and Jack took the gun from me and shot the evil man twice himself.

Dad burned the body and then we had a decision to make. I was sad to be leaving Dad, but he said he didn't mind so much, because it was time for me to have my own adventures. Jack had built Torchwood up with me in mind, and I so wanted to be with him.

We landed in Cardiff a year ago, and I said goodbye to my Dad and Martha. I still see dad often, because I can phone the TARDIS anytime I want, to get him to come and see me, and by onw I'm totally settled in Cardiff. In fact, I love it.

Dad went off travelling in time and space again, and Martha went back to her family and went on to become a Doctor for UNI, and Donna (the one we met on her wedding day) started travelling with dad.

I thought Torchwood was unbelieveable when I set foot into it, and I couldn't believe this was what Jack run - a secret alien hunting base under the Cardiff bay. It was huge and beautiful and wonderful, an it was all Jack's. Except now he said it was ours.

I met the people who worked for him - Gwen, Owen, Ianto and Tosh.

They were wary of me at first, but once we'd jumped straight in with the work and got to know each other a bit, everything was fine, more or less. The team soon saw the advantage of having the boss's girlfriend around, to calm the boss down whenever he got angry, and to tell them little things about Jack that made them laugh - something to tease him about.

In particular, Owen and Tosh became my closest friends, and after a while, Ianto did too. Gwen and I get on fine, but there's some friction there, because it appears she's quite close to Jack - or was before I got here - and she seemed to be jealous or something, despite having her own husand by now.

I don't even know how to describe what Torchwood means to me now. It's my life. To me, Torchwood isn't the building - it's the people who work here, the work we do to keep Cardiff safe, and it's Jack.

I've spent a year and a half livinf and working with Jack, and I know by now (though I knew anyway) that Jack is everything I've ever wanted. We've got this bond that's gone far beyond love, and I've spent so long by his side, that I don't know how to function without him anymore.

Jack seems to be a different man now we're together, Ianto tells me, and I'd like to think that we're both different now, and we're both much happier that we ever were before. Sometimes when we're together, it's like the whole world goes grey around us, and we're the only thing that matters. Ever.

It's not like we haven't had our difficulties - after the Year That Never Was, I had horrible nightmares about the master, but Jack was always there. And sometimes when we're into a heavier case, Jack gets very very protective, and doesn't want to leave me, even when there's no choice, and the time I found out Jack was married a long time ago, and ha a daughter and grandson, I didn't know what to do. But everything we've been through, it doesn't matter, and we always get by.

Throughout the years, many things happened, including seeing Martha again, which led to Owen's death. Somehow, the use of a ressurection glove meant owen came back to life, albiet a sort of undead, strange life, but he's still around.

We went to Gwen's wedding about 9 or 10 months ago, where Jack danced me around the empty dancefloor to the Moonlight Serenade, before getting down on one knee, pulling out a dazzling ring, and asking me to marry him.

I was absolutely delighted and there wa no hesitation at all. I don't think I've ever been so happy, and my soult mate and I got to organising the wedding, with my good friend Tosh as my maid of honour, the ever organised Ianto as my wedding planner, and Owen as Jack's best man - Owen's a strange person, because he seems arrogant and uncaring, but sometimes he's so sweet, and it's like having an older brother. We planned on travelling in the TARDIS to the Globe Theatre, in William Shakepeare's time, and getting married there, on Christmas day.

Everything was going fine until one fateful day.

It started out with a blast from Jack's past - an old lover of his, who was bein forced to do the dirty work of Jack's long lost brother. The brother - Gray - was hell bent of wreaking revenge on Jack, and atfer blowing up half the city, nearly killing Owen in a nuclear melt downand burying Jack under the city, he shot me.

This was about 7 months ago.

The pain that coursed that through me was unbelieveable, and as Tosh worked furious to save Owen, Gwen and Ianto were stuck downstairs in the cells, Jack came to me and held me in his arms.

He was crying, and it made me cry too - for a moment, I was sure I wouldn't be able to regenerate - like I wouldn't know how, but finally, it started.

It was like nothing I'd ever experienced before, and as she golden light surrounded me, I didn't know what to do. I felt myself changing, and with a burst of light, I was lowered back to my feet.

Now, I'm a new person.

It took a lot of getting used to at first. I was terrified that Jack wouldn't love me if I was someone different, that the regeneration would go wrong, and that Jack would hate me for killing his brother (even if it was in self defence.)

Of course, he did nothing of the sort - Jack loves me, and we got through it, with a little help from my dad, who came along and helped the both of us through it. We came out much stronger on the other side and Jack insists that this regeneration is much better tha the first anyway. I look more his age now - or at least, i look about 35, and he likes my Welsh accent.

We got through it fine, and soon got back onto the subject of our upcoming wedding - nothing was going to stop it, and all the preparations were in motion.

Shortly before the wedding, another disaster hit - it seemed like disaster followed me everywhere, and each disaster was bigger than the last. This one involves Daleks - all across the world, and the planets being moved out of where they should be.

Jack and I managed to find my dad, and the whole events were unbelieveable. Sarah Jane was there, Martha was there, and somehow, Rose was there!

My old friend, the only big love of my dad's life, had somehow come back from the parallel universe! She'd brought with her her parents and their two year old son, and her ex-boyfriend Mickey, but we were so happy to see her.

We defeated the Daleks with a little help from everyone, but suffered the loss of Donna who had become part time lord after being trapped in the TARDIS with a ridiculous amount of regeneration energy. The same thing happened to Rose with a very different outcome - the regeneration energy was too much for Donna and all of her memories of the Doctor and our way of life had to be erased - otherwise she'd have burnt up. We were sorry to lose her, but the regeneration energy in Rose's body reacted with the old Bad Wolf energy. She became part time lord - giving her the same long lifespan and ability to regenerate, and extended knowledge, as a normal time lord.

While our friends were gathered together, we decided to get married. We were only having a small weding as it was, so we gathered together our remaining guests and got married - Christmas Eve 1601, in the Globe Theatre.

It was absolutely perfect and without a doubt the happiest day of my life. Jack looked better than I'd ever seen him and the speeches and vows we made to each other were enough to make us both - and most of our guests - cry buckets.

Afterwards we had a small reception in the funciton room of a pub that a relation of Ianto's girlfriend ran - Ianto's been with his girlfriend about 14 months now, and we've still only met her the once - at our reception.

After the wedding, we took a month long honeymoon in sunny Barbados, and it couldn't have been better. We spent the month lazing on the secluded beach or in the swimming pool, or rolling around in bed - nothing could have been better.

When we got back, our team was still there, there'd been no major disaster, and they seemed to have coped pretty well, though they all insisted they'd missed us being around (even Owen) and wed missed them too. Torchwood is absolutely my home.

It's been 6 months since our wedding now, and married life is everything I hoped it would be and so much more. It's hard to believe that I'm married and settled down, but here I am.

And it feels so right.

* * *

**Author's Note: Let me know if you have any ideas, suggestions, anything for the story.**


	2. Married Bliss

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

**Author's Note: This is just an introduction chapter, and sets the scene for a bit. The Children of Earth should start in the next chapter.**

Chapter Two

" Jack! There's just one left - I think it's somewhere on your left! "

" No, I've checked that way! " Jack shouted back at his wife from across the street, pointing his gun this way and that as he walked.

The pair of them were out on a weevil hunt with Ianto and Owen and had already taken out three, and were just trying to take out the last one. Lily was currently brandishing her stun gun and looking for the last weevils.

" Jack! Behind you! " she suddenly shouted, hurrying across the road in case he needed any backup.

Jack spun around and darted out of the way just as the weevils lunged for him. As the weevil ended up on Jack's other side, it had its back to Lily and was facing Jack. Over the weevil's shoulder, Lily looked at Jack and they shared a smirk.

All of a sudden, Jack lunged forward and with one swift and well aimed blow, kicked the weevil to the ground. When it was on the floor between them, Lily acted fast and shot at it with her stun gun.

Ocne they knew it was safe, they looked at each other and shared a grin, before Lily touched her comms, " Ianto? Owen? We've got it. Meet us back at the SUV. "

With the connection ended, Lily looked at Jack - the pair of them had been married for 6 months now, but being married hadn't made them any more sensible, and it certainly hadn't taken the thrill and buzz of fighting aliens away.

" Nice work," Lily nodded in appreciation, looking down at the weevil, and back up at Jack.

Jack grinned, " Not bad yourself, baby. You've got one hell of an aim on you. " They started back to the SUV as Ianto would come along and collect the weevil, ready to dispose of, and their part was now done.

Lily shrugged but looked pretty pleased with herself. Jack stepped over the weevil's body and draped an arm around Lily's shoulders lazily.

The pair of them started back towards the SUV, walking closely together with Lily's arm wrapped around Jack's waist too. " I think we've set ourselves a new record time for catching four weevils. "

" That's because we make a good team," Lily informed him.

" Well that's what marriage is all about," Jack told her as they crossed the road. They rounded the corner, and stopped in front of the SUV.

Jack reached out hungrily and wrapped both of his arms around her waist and pulling her in close. She smiled as she rested her hands on his upper arms, and he pressed her back against the car.

She laughed and tipped her head back, " Really kitten, can't you wait until we get home? "

Jack laughed. He looked her up and down - she was wearing her typical girly outfit of a knee length skirt and a pretty blouse, with a pair of pretty pumps and her favourite tan coloured trenchcoat. The clothes worked perfectly with her curves and she knew her husband liked those clothes on her.

" Can't wait," he mumbled as he leaned in, and kissed her neck. She let out a little squeak of suprise - she'd been expecting him to kiss her lips, but instead he'd gone for her exposed neck, unable to resist.

His lips worked like magic and skirted across her pale skin, leaving a trail of kisses. She clung to his arms - he still managed to give her the feeling that her knees could go weak at any moment, and they'd been together in Cardiff for a year and a half, plus the Year That Never Was.

" Jack," she breathed, as his arm around her waist tightened, and he pulled her in closer.

Jack smirked and stopped his glorious ministrations on her neck to focus his lips to hers. He leaned in slowly and his lips stopped a couple of centimetres away from hers. She sighed impatiently and leaned in, pressing her lips against his and taking control.

He was the one to deepen the kiss, slying slipping in his tounge, which she welcomed.

" Oh, do we really need to see the Jack and Lily show? "

Lily pushed Jack away a little in order to look in the direction of the voice, and saw Owen standing there, pulling a pretty disgusted face, as he looked at the pair of them.

" You're just jealous," Jack told his friend as he kept one arm around Lily's waist and turned out to face both Owen and Ianto, who had arrived at the same time as Owen.

" Yeah! " Lily added, sticking her tounge out at him, " and you can hardly talk anyway - you and Tosh have been trying to give us a run for our money recently! "

" Can we please get back to the hub? " Owen said, rolling his eyes and ignoring her comment, " I've got no desire to spend much more time at work than I have to. "

Jack pulled the keys out of his pocket and unlocked the SUV. His arm was still around Lily and he pulled her in and kissed her cheek before letting go of her.

Lily smirked as she got into the passenger seat of the car.

Tosh and Owen had first shared a kiss on the day that the Daleks last came to earth, and the planets were moved out. Since then, nothing had happened for a while, although it was clear that they both liked each other.

After a couple of weeks of lingering looks across the hub and awkward giggling conversations (which Owen would never have owned up to if asked about) Lily had decided she'd had enough. Jack had told her not to mess about, and to leave them to it, but she couldn't have it.

She told Owen, rather frankly, to get his act together and take a good look at the situation - she told him she'd had enough of watching them mess about, Torchwood taught that life was short, and if he wanted something, he was absolutely to just go for it.

Owen wasted no further time, and the moment Tosh had come back up from the archives, he walked over to her desk, slid an arm around her waist, pulled her in, and kissed her passionately. Tosh had been shocked and could only let it happen, but when Owen made it clear that that would not be the first kiss, she was thrilled.

For a couple of weeks, Tosh and Owen had acted pretty neutral towards each other - they chatted often, and clearly enjoyed each others company, but were taking things very slowly.

After about a month of odd dates in the pub, and the odd kiss around the hub, something changed. Tosh confided in Lily that Owen had told her he wanted to make things more serious, and their relationship had stepped up a level.

Tosh and Owen were now at a point where they were in a commited relationship, and were happy with each other and enjoying each others company. They were nowhere near as open about their relationship as Jack and Lily, and weren't big on public displays of affection, but it was clear that they were well matched.

" Speaking of Tosh," Lily said, looking over her shoulder at Owen, who was sitting in the back seat of the car, " are we still on for that night out on Saturday? "

Jack, Lily, Owen and Tosh had decided to go out for a few drinks on Saturday night, and Lily and Tosh in particular were looking forward to it.

" Sure," Owen said, " although we must be crazy to agree to double date with you two. "

" D'you fancy coming? " Lily asked Ianto with a smile, " you could bring Cate? "

" No thanks," Ianto said, shaking his head, " I really don't think Cate should be meeting you lot again - the wedding reception was enough, and I can't expose her to Torchwood. "

Lily rolled her eyes, " You've been together over a year, Ianto! "

" Yeah, but only casualy until a few months back," Ianto pointed out.

As Lily opened her mouth, Jack took off in the car and looked sideways at his wife. " For goodness' sake, Lily, leave him alone. We're alien catchers and all you want to do is organise your social life! "

" Well excuse me for wanting to spend time with my friends outside of work," Lily said, folding her arms stubbornly.

" It's not like you don't spend enough time standing around and talking when we're working," Jack pointed out, shaking his head, " baby, all you ever do is talk. In fact, you're a regular little gossip. "

" Hey," Lily said, swatting at his arm, " you're not allowed to insult your wife like that. "

" I'll do what I like," Jack said, shaking his head, " and if you keep hitting me when I'm trying to drive, I'll see to it that you're taught an appropriate lesson when we get home. "

" Jack! " Owen said, shaking his head, " we don't want to hear it. "

Lily smirked as she looked out of the window - this was exactly the life she wanted. Just being with her handsome husband, her friends, and keeping the streets of Wales safe.

When they got back to the hub, it was around 5pm.

" How was the hunt? " Gwen asked as the four of them walked into the hub, the cog door blaring.

" Great," Lily said with enthusiasm, walking forwards and pulling Jack with her, as he was holding her hand, " we got all four of them caught, no bother. We beat our record time, too. It was great. "

Gwen shook her head, " You know, of all the couples I know, most of them go bowling for fun, or to the cinema. And you two find chasing weevils around fun. "

Jack laughed, " Weevil hunting's the only way to do it," he shrugged, slipping off his military coat and throwing it away to the coat stand, where it landed perfectly.

" Your phone's been ringing off the hook, by the way," Tosh said, as Owen and Ianto went to gather around with Tosh and Gwen at the computers, and Jack helped Lily peel away her trenchcoat.

" Thanks," Lily nodded, somewhat distracted, as Jack tossed her coat onto her desk and was immediately taken by her body. He never failed to find her irresistable, and he was standing behind her.

While the others chatted away just a short distance away, Jack pulled her back against him, wrapping his arms around her waist from behind. The feeling of his strong hard body behind her was a great precense and she smiled and rested her head back against his shoulder.

She could tell that all he wanted was her, and he wanted to get rid of the others. She smirked a little and pressed herself back against him.

" Shall I order in some takeways? " Ianto asked, looking over at Jack and Lily, " thought we could all do with a bit of something to eat while we get the reports finished. "

Jack looked around at his team and then back at Lily, before shaking his head, relaxing his hold on Lily as he said, " No, Ianto, don't worry about it. Why don't you four get yourselves off? "

" Really? " Gwen asked.

The phone on Lily's desk rang, and Jack groaned in disappointement as she moved away from him to pick up the phone.

Jack eyes followed her, and he nodded in distraction, before looking at his team, " Yeah. You might as well go before I change my mind. "

The team didn't waste any time in getting their coats and leaving the hub, shouting goodnight to the boss and his wife as they left. Jack sat on the edge of Lily's desk once they were alone, and watched as she chatted away on the phone.

" Martha! " Lily said with excitement, " it's so good to hear from you - Tosh tells me you've been ringing all evening. "

Jack couldn't hear Martha's replies, but watched Lily's face as she spoke on the phone. Martha told Lily, " It's impossible to get hold of you! "

Lily laughed, " Well, we were out on a weevil hunt, nothing that we couldn't sort out easy enough. How are you doing? You must have been pretty desperate to get told of me. "

" I'm good," Martha said, " really good actually. How's married life treating you? And Jack? It's been too long since we've seen each other. "

Lily smiled as she glanced at Jack and then back to her desk, " Oh we're doing well. Jack's fine too - as annoying as ever, but he's fine. " Jack frowned at her, and she stuck out her tounge, continuing, " anything we can do for you? "

" There might be a little something I had to tell you," Martha said.

There was a strange tone to Martha's voice, and Lily knew there was something going on - she sounded so happy, and Lily tried to figure out exactly what was going on.

" Martha? " she asked suspiciously, " is there something you'd like to share with me? "

Martha let out a loud laugh, " You got me - I was ringing to tell you about a new development in my life that you might want to know about. "

" Oh my God," Lily laughed, " stop acting so coy and tell me! "

There was a little pause before Martha said, " I'm ... on honeymoon. "

" Honeymoon? " Lily asked, confused, before her eyes widened and she demanded, " honeymoon? What? How can you be on honeymoon? "

Jack stared at Lily and she shrugged, waiting for Martha's answer.

" Well, I got married," Martha said, sounding so pleased with herself, " it was a real spur of the moment thing - just me, him, registray office, taxi driver and random person in the corridor as witnesses. We're going to have a proper service when we come home, but it was just so right. We got married yesterday, and we're in the south of France now. "

" Oh my God," Lily said, unable to digest this much information - she'd not seen Martha since her own wedding, but she'd spoken to her on the phone constantly, as per usual. As far as she knew, Martha hadn't been in a serious relationship with anyone. She'd had a couple of dates with Mickey, but ... the thought suddenly struck Lily and she said, " Martha, who is it? "

" Well," Martha started, laughing, " it's - "

" Is it Mickey? " Lily asked, biting her lip, ready to laugh.

Mickey Smith had chosen not to return to the parallel world when none of the others did after the wedding. Jack had offered him a position at Torchwood, but Mickey had insisted that he wanted to start afresh, with people that he didn't know, but he wanted to remain in alien work.

He'd ended up going to UNIT with Martha, where he explained his connection to the Doctor, and with a fantastic reference from both Jack and Lily, had been given a position there.

" Yeah it is! " Martha burst out.

Lily couldn't believe it - she knew they'd had a few dates, but she didn't realise it had gotten serious, " No way! _No _way! Martha that's ... oh wow, I'm totally shocked, but congratulations anyway. That's amazing! "

Martha laughed, " I just had to tell you, Lily. I'll get in touch after the honeymoon - we'll sort out a proper little service, but I had to tell you. I've got to be going now, we're just about to go out. "

" Oh wow," Lily said, still in shock, " give Mickey my - our - love then, won't you? And congratulations - I'll see you soon enough, I'm sure. "

Once she'd hung up the phone she leant back in her chair and looked at Jack, shaking her head silently. Jack looked back at her and raised his eyebrows, " Did I ... did I pick that up right? Has she ... "

" Yeah," Lily said, unable to stop laughing at the very thought of it, " Martha's just gotten married to Mickey Smith. "

Jack shook his head, " Who'd have thought it, eh? That's ... that's unbelieveable ."

Lily couldn't believe it but she shook her head, " You know what? Good for them. If that's what makes her happy, then why shouldn't she marry him? I'll admit it's quicker than you'd expect considering we thought they were just dating, but why would you wait when you know it's right? "

Jack smiled, " You're such a romantic, Lily. "

" You wouldn't have it any other way, and you know it," Lily said.

Jack smiled and leaned over to engage her in a soft and gentle kiss. Their kiss was slow and lingering and tasted sweet. When they broke apart, Lily saw Jack's eyes clouded with lust and she felt something very similar.

" Get up," Jack ordered, his voice taking on a deep, sexy tone.

Lily didn't argue, and as she got to her feet, Jack stood up too from where he'd been sat on her desk, and it took him all of one swift motion to sweep her off her feet and carry her in his big strong arms.

She giggled as he walked towards his office with her in his arms - he carried her as if she weighed nothing, and with her arms around his neck, she felt safe and happy. Jack was so strong and heroic and that was exactly what he liked.

He gave the office door a little kick open, and it didn't take long for them to get down to the bedroom, where Jack wasted no time in pinning his wife to the door, kissing her passionately, and tugging at the hem of her shirt.

Lily was plenty happy to comply and started to unbutton his shirt, her lips locked against his.

A few hours later, the pair of them were sat up in their bed. They were naked and curled up together under the duvet, wrapped up in each other. Jack's arms were around Lily's waist as she rested back against him, and in front of her she held their wedding albumn.

Ianto had taken many pictures at the wedding and packed them several disposable cameras to get pictures of the honeymoon - according to Ianto, they should document their time with lots of pictures.

" Weird, isn't it? " Lily said, her hand skirting across the glossy front cover before she opened it up, " to think we're married. We live in an underground alien catching base - you're immortal, and I'm an alien. And we're married. "

Jack smiled contendedly and looked down over her shoulder at the first photograph - it was Jack standing at the front of the theatre, beside Owen, just before the wedding. In the first shot ,he had his hand through his hair and he looked stressed out. Lily smiled fondly - she'd only looked through the albumn a couple of times, but it always made her happy.

Lily turned the page, and as she did so, Jack tightened his arms around her - they were safe and warm and she always felt like she belonged there in his arms.

" Seems like everyone's getting married right now," Jack said, " I mean, I can't believe Mickey and Martha - they're going to have to come and visit us, when they get back from honeymoon. And - "

" Yeah, and Sarah Jane," Lily nodded.

Sarah Jane Smith had called Lily a month earlier with details of her wedding, which was happening in three weeks time. It seemed like eveyrone was suddenly finding love - after all, Rose was back with the Doctor, Mickey had found love with Martha apparently, Tosh and Owen had finally gotten together, Ianto had a girlfriend.

" Oh wow," Jack said, as the next picture was the pair of them sharing their first kiss in marriage, " look how great you look. You looked stunning that day. "

" Look how happy we are," Lily smiled as they looked at the next photo - the pair of them walking back out of the theatre, up the aisle. " Remember when we got outside the theatre, and it was snowing, and it was all so - "

" Perfect," Jack finished for her.

The next pictures were of their wedding reception. In every picture, their friends were laughing and smiling, and Lily stopped on a picture of herself and Owen. Owen had his arm around her waist and was looking down at her fondly, and she was looking straight into the camera with a big grin.

" Sometimes if I didn't know better, I'd say he's got a thing for you," Jack said absent mindedly.

Lily rolled her eyes, " He does not. It's like having a big brother or something - except he's a bit flirty. And he's even toned down the flirting now he's with Tosh! "

" Yeah, only because I had to have a word with him about it," Jack said, shaking his head.

" You did what? " Lily demanded, looking up at him, quite annoyed, " you told him not to flirt with me? You jelaous pig! You flirt with everyone you meet but I'm not allowed - "

Jack cut her off with a kiss to the lips, short and sweet and then said, " No, that's the point. Me and you can take a bit of flirting because that's how we both are, but Tosh isn't. You and Owen were messing about and flirting a couple of weeks back, and I could see that Tosh was looking on, not too happy, so I just warned Owen that she might not be as secure as to let him flirt with other people in front of her. "

" Oops," Lily said, shaking her head.

Jack rolled his eyes - she really was too cute, and he kissed her top of her head. They continued to flick through the albumn, and Jack reached out to stop her turning the pages at one point.

He smirked at the pictures and said, " You know, you don't look bad to say you're what, 210-ish? "

Lily looked down at the picture - it was taken on the beach and was clearly one which Jack had taken himself. Lily was standing on the beach in a skimpy bikini and one hand was on the rim of her big straw sumery hat, the other resting on her hip and sheposed for the camera.

" Not bad yourself," Lily said, " you must be about 1000 by now? "

" A thousand? " Jack demanded, annoyed, " are you joking? I was 38 when the Daleks killed me, deperated from you for 138 years, then the year that never was, and a year and a half of being back here, that makes me 178. I'm _younger _than you. "

" You're forgetting that John and Gray buried you under Cardiff in the year 935," Lily added, " and we found you in the vault in 2008, just last year, so that gives you an extra 1073 years. I reckon you're about 1250 years old. "

Jack shook his head - he'd never taken into account the time he'd been buried into the city - and he whistled.

Lily laughed, " Don't worry about it, kitten. You're looking as great as ever, if not better. "

Jack smiled and watched his wife turn the page - this next photo showed them sitting in the classy bar of the luxurious hotel they'd spent the month in. It had been a very quiet place with only three other rooms, and had been perfet.

" Oh God," Lily said, shaking her head as she looked at the picture, " remember those two? "

The pair of them were sitting in the bar with a drink each, along with a middle aged couple - a fat, grey haired scottish man, and an even fatter, even uglier woman. They'd asked the couple to take a photo of them together, but somehow the couple had wormed their way into being in the picture, and getting the bar man to take it.

" Remember them? " Jack asked, " there was one point when I thought they were going to drag us off to their lair and do away with us. "

Lily giggled, and said, " Oh, they were not. "

" I'm telling you," Jack said, frowning, " they were swingers, Lily, and they were after me. You didn't see the look in the bloke's eyes when we went to the toilet. He was ready to pin me up and - "

" Jack! " Lily said, cutting him off sharply.

As she turned the page again and saw a picture of herself with the hunky young barman, she grinned, and Jack nodded, " Oh yeah. He was after me too. "

" He was not! " Lily said, shaking her head, " not everyone is after you, Captain Harkness, you arrogant man ... if anything, he was after me. "

" He better not have been," Jack said, " I'll go around there and - "

Lily laughed, " Go where? It was the other side of the world, kitten, it was 5 months ago! Get over it! "

Jack pouted and ran a hand through his hair, " Still, I ... "

" Oh Jack," Lily said, " you're so sweet sometimes. Worrying about some foreign barman trying to make a move on me all those months ago - we're married, aren't we? Doesn't it prove that I only want you? "

" Course it does," Jack said,

Lily laughed as she looked over her shoulder at him. She closed the photo album and reached out to put it on the floor beside the bed, before clambering around on the bed.

She turned around to face Jack and straddled him, her hands reaching out and sliding over his chest to rest at the back of his head. She leaned in and he impatiently reached out for her waist.

" Come here, Mrs Harkness," he said.


	3. Day One

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

Chapter Three

Lily and Jack were both up early the next morning, and were actually settled into their work before the rest of their employees arrived.

Lily was sat behind her desk with a mug of coffee beside her, though she'd made it herself and didn't expect it to be any good, and and a report in front of her. Jack was in his office, dealing with a few early morning calls to UNIT, which he always found a pain.

Ianto was, as usual, the first into work, and he was very cloesly followed by Tosh, and then Owen some twenty minutes later.

Once almost everyone was in work, Ianto decided to make a drink. As he came to get Lily's mug from her desk, he looked down at the half mug of murky looking liquid.

" That looks revolting," he said, pulling a face.

" Oh believe me, it is - that's why I didn't drink it," Lily said, looking up from the report she'd been writing - or attempting to write - at him. " I made it myself - useless. "

" Did you make Jack one too? " Ianto asked curiously, eyeing the office door and wondering if his boss was actually still alive, if she'd been making the drinks.

" No, he wouldn't let me," Lily said, " he seemed to think that it would taste disgusting, and there'd be a serious risk of being poisioned. As much as I hate to admit it, he was probably right. "

Ianto shook his head and told her, " Don't worry about it. I'll make you a _decent _one. "

" Thanks sweetie," she said, watching him walk away to the kitchen. Ianto stopped in the doorway with a few mugs in his hand, and turned back to face her.

He had a newspaper tucked under his arm and he walked back over to her and plucked the newspaper from under his arm and handed it to her, " Today's newpaper. Thought the back few pages might interest you. "

Lily took the paper from him curiously and as he disappeared into the kitchen, she turned to the back of the paper and smiled when she saw what was there - the housing pages. She looked over the pictures of the properties in Cardiff, the prices, their proximity to the hub and smiled at the thought of it.

She'd been thinking about living in a proper house for a while. She loved the hub, but she now she was married, felt like she'd like to live in a proper house, like a proper married couple.

She'd only started thinking about it, and hadn't mentioned it to Jack yet. She didn't know how he'd feel about it, and she knew someone needed to be around in the hub, but she considered that they could like nearby and get the office phone hooked up to their house phone somehow, so they could get back to the hub in an emergency.

She was fed up of having a small bedroom and a small bathroom underneath a manhole cover - she wanted something real.

" What have you got there? " Tosh asked from across the hub, as she turned on her computers - Owen was across the hub, in the med bay, and the two women were on their own.

" Property listings," Lily replied, looking up at her friend.

" You're buying a house? " she asked, suprised.

Lily shrugged, looking back down at the newspaper, " I'm just looking - haven't even mentioned it to Jack, but I was thinking about it. It's no big deal, like. "

Tosh nodded and said, " It'll be nice, if you do move. There's some decent flats, new-ish, not far from where I live. You should check those out. "

" Well I'm really just looking," Lily shrugged, trying to shake it off - it's not like she was planning anything serious. It was just a thought. "

Ianto came out of the kitchen and gave out the mugs of coffee to everyone, at the same time that Jack came out of his office. He was wearing his military jacket and looked like he had somewhere to be.

He strode out of the office with purpose and said, " Time to go. I've had a call - that hitchhiker we were chasing last week - I think I might know where it's cropped up. I'm going to the hospital. "

" D'you want me to come? " Lily asked, looking up from her desk.

Jack smiled at her, from where she was sat with the newspaper and a steaming hot drink. " No," he said, " you're comfy here. I'll take .. Ianto? "

Ianto nodded, " Yes sir," he said as he buttoned up his coat.

Lily smiled at Jack and he reached down to plant a kiss on her forehead, " Just leave the newspaper on my desk when you're done with it, baby. I might check out page three. "

Lily rolled her eyes, " You're going to be disappointed - Ianto bought this one. Ianto doesn't buy those kind of newspapers. "

Jack tutted though he was only joking, and he was about to head or the door when he saw what she was looking at, " What - what are you reading? " he asked.

She shrugged, " Just looking at houses. I thought we could ... think about getting a proper house. It's no big deal, I'm just looking. It doesn't matter if you don't fancy - "

" Lily, I think it's ... I think it's worth looking at," Jack nodded. He found it difficult to imagine living anywhere else - the hub was his home, had been for so long, but he had Lily now. Things were different - together they were slowly drawing themselves away from life wrapped up in the hub, and it felt great to have a different side to their life.

" Really? " she asked, raising her eyebrows.

" Yeah, it could be fun," Jack said, walking towards the door, " we'll talk it about later !" he added over his shoulder, as he and Ianto left.

When they were gone, Owen, who'd come up from the medical bay to accept his drink from Ianto, shook his head. " You've got that man well and truly wrapped around your little finger, haven't you? "

Lily shrugged, turning the page in the paper, " I'm his wife - surely it's not too much to ask that we have a proper house to live in? "

" Not about the house," Owen scoffed, setting his drink down on Tosh's desk and reaching out to put his arm around her shoulders. Tosh seemed a little shy - the whole thing was so odd, and even though it had been 4 months or so, they were very private about it. " About everything. He'd do anything you wanted. "

Lily smiled - she knew it was true, but she knew she'd also do anything he wanted. " That's love for you, Owen. Take note, and learn. "

Tosh blushed at the comment, and Lily smirked as she turned back to her paperwork - she knew Tosh and Owen hadn't told each other that they loved each other, but they did. She could tell, and she knew that neither of them would be open about saying it - Tosh was shy even around her friends, and love wasn't really Owen's thing.

She put aside the newspaper and picked up her pen.

She always handwrote her reports before giving them to Ianto to be filed, because her handwriting was neat and fast, and it seemed easier than messing around with the computers.

As she wrote, she looked up from the report and glanced at Tosh and Owen. She saw them stood close together, facing each other.

She watched discreetly as Owen reached out to tuck Tosh's hair behind her ear tenderly - a quality he only seemed to show around Tosh, or Lily to a certain extent - before tilting her chin up with the other hand and kissing her lips softly.

They only showed their affection when they were alone - or when not many people were around - and Lily thought it was sweet.

Gwen came into work not long after, and as she switched up her computer, everyone started ot get a bit of light work done.

As Lily's hand flew across the page, she was quite content and lost in her own world of work, until Tosh said, " Um ... Lily? "

Lily looked up and frowned when she heard the confusion in Tosh's voice, " Yes? "

" I think you should see this - I'm getting some pretty strange reports," Tosh said, clicking a few buttons on her computer and drawing up some reports.

" Reports, like what? " Lily asked, pulling out her stylish black rimmed, glasses from the pocket of her trenchcoat - she didn't need glasses, but thought they made her look smart, and used them when investigating.

" Traffic," Tosh said as Lily came to stand beside her, and Gwen and Owen hovered nearby too, " I've got ... 16 ... no, 17, road traffics across the country this morning. All at the same time and all - "

The siren of the cog door blared, and Jack and Ianto came sweeping in.

" Tosh! " Jack said, clearly in full working mode, " I want you to run me a check on St Helen's hospital - specifically the morgue. "

" Hey! " Lily reprimanded him, " "please" wouldn't go amiss - there's a computer over there, do it yourself. "

Jack shrugged and headed for the computer, but as he tried to walk past Lily, he reached out and took hold of his arm, pulling him back, " Actually, you should see this - Tosh has found something. "

Jack looked at her and the first thing he noticed was the glases - it was a trait she seemed to have picked up from her dad's tenth regeneration, and when the glasses came out, it was serious thinking time.

" What's going on? " Jack asked, looking at the screen, and one hand coming to rest on Lily's lower back.

" I've been getting reports of 17 road traffic accidents this morning happening right across the country, all the way from Glasgow to St Ives," Tosh said.

" Is that more than average? " Jack asked.

Tosh continued, " They all occured between 8.40 and 8.41. "

Lily shook her head as she looked at Jack for confirmation of what she was thinking, " 17 road accidents all at the exact same time? That's got to be something suspicious - some kind of force causing it. "

" And," Tosh added, " they all involved children. "

" That'll be the school run," Ianto said, firing up another computer from nearby, as everyone contemplated what was going on.

Tosh looked around at every and said seriously, " By the sounds of it, all of them were just standing in the middle of the road. Not crossing the road - just standing. "

" I saw it myself, Jack," Gwen said, " just as I was coming into work - two kids on Market Street. Well, they just stopped. "

Lily struggled to think about it - anything involving kids was wrong - kids were something that shouldn't be messed with. She felt kids were the future - they were all special little things. It was just wrong to mess with something so precious and innocent.

" Thanks Gwen," she said, taking control as no-one quite knew what to do, " Ianto, can you find out if this is limited to the UK, for me? Jack ... how did it go at the hospital - you got rid of the hitchhiker - saved the man? "

She looked at him as she walked back to her desk and straightened out her papers, laying her completed report on the top. She peered over the top of her glasses at him and he shrugged.

Jack pulled a face, " The guy died, but we got rid of the hitchhiker. I think we've made a young doctor at the hospital extremely suspicious of us though. "

" You did _what? " _Lily asked, hands on her hips.

" Didn't do it on purpose," Jack said, " he kind of walked in on us extracting the thing - he thinks we're Torchwood. I denied it but .. well, the SUV kind of gave us away. "

" Haven't I _told _you that thing gives us away? " Lily sighed, exasperated, " we're a top secret organisation, Jack. What are you going to do about this doctor then? "

Jack was talking now so only she could hear and he told her, " Don't worry - Ianto and I have sorted it out. I think he's going to follow us back to the bay, and when he does, we'll lure him in. I'll take him out, and I'll retcon him when he's not expecting it. "

" What? "

" Or maybe you should take him out - he looks straight, so he won't be able to resist you. You take him out and retcon him," he told her.

Lily rolled her eyes, but smiled a little - there wasn't really a choice in the matter since they couldnt let everyone find out about it, and they didn't need anyone else in their team - they functioned perfectly as they were, and if they were going to bring in anyone new, it would most likely be Martha or Mickey - or Martha and Mickey.

She called over to Ianto, " Have you got anything? "

" Yeah, similar reports from France," he said, " 15 road accidents, all timed around 9.40 - they're an hour ahead. Still cross referencing. Here we go - reports coming in - RTAs in Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Luxembourg, Spain, Portugal, Tunisia, Bosnia, Germany, India, Egypt, Ghana, Singapore - "

" All involving children? " Jack barked.

Ianto nodded solemnly - this was not looking good.

" Is this for real? " Lily demanded, trying to think it through, " so as far as we can tell, every child in the world just _stopped _at 8:40 this morning? "

" So you've never seen anything like it then? " Owen asked.

" No, never," Lily said, as Jack also shook his head.

" Not kids - no way," Jack said, already heading for his office, " I'll ring UNIT, see what they can tell me. "

As Tosh started cross referencing and looking things up with the help of Gwen, Ianto wandered over to watch the CCTV footage, and Lily paced the hub for a few moments before heading into Jack's office.

She walked in just in time to see Jack bang the phone down.

He didn't look pleased and said, " Of all the times for Martha Jones to go on holiday! I get Sergeant Grunt! I'm talking to a grunt! "

" Don't you dare ring her," Lily said, pointing a finger at him, " she's on her honeymoon! What did they say? "

" UNIT base in Washington has run some tests on a couple of kids," Jack replied, " brain scans, bloody sugar, checking for radiation - nothing. Where do we go from here? "

Lily tilted her chin up as she looked at him, " We'll keep working - push forward, work out what's going on. We'll do this, Jack. "

Jack sighed and shook his head, " I wish we were still on honeymoon. "

Lily smiled a little and she took a step forward. Jack didn't say anything, and watched as she stopped just in front of him - he was entranced. She reached out and laid her hands on his hips, pulling him closer to her,

" I'm telling you, Jack, we'll sort this," she told him, " trust me. "

" Sort it? " Jack asked, " will we? "

" A little optimism will go a long way," Lily told him with a teasing smile, " I've never let you down before, have I? We're a team Jack, and I'm telling you that we'll sort this out. It'll be nothing we can't handle - and once we've sorted it out, we'll have a little re-enactment of our honeymoon ... if you want. "

Jack raised his eyebrows, thoroughly reassured by her, and particularly by her promise, " Honeymoon? "

Lily smirked and looked down at the manhole cover leading to their bedroom, before looking back up at Jack, " Yeah. "

Jack smirked and leaned down to kiss her lips, holding her at the waist and pulling her up against his hard, firm body. She smiled into the kiss and allowed him to deepen it, and they broke apart when there was a knock at the door.

" Sorry," Ianto said, standing in the doorway, looking awkward.

Lily shook her head, " Don't worry about it. "

Ianto looked at Jack and told him, " You were right! He's back! "

" Ha ha! " Jack grinned in triumph, " I said so! "

He walked out of the office, pulling Lily by the hand, and stopped in front of the computers which bore CCTV footage of the bay. Lily saw a tall and skinny man walking around the bay, wandering around and just looking for something.

" Who's back? " Gwen asked, as the other members of the team looked on in curiosity.

" Dr Rupesh Patanjali," Jack replied, pointing at the man, " he's the man who saw the hitch-hiker at the hospital. Reckons there's bodies going missing. "

" And you just let him follow you? " Owen asked skeptically.

Jack shrugged, " We saw too much. I was thinking he might have left it well enough alone, but since he's followed us here, we'll have to retcon him. "

The others nodded, though Gwen didn't look too big on the idea, " You tired to retcon me once," she pointed out, " and it didn't work. "

Jack shook his head, " We don't need anyone else around here - he's a doctor. We've got a doctor. Lily's going to go up there and get rid of him for us. "

" Am I? " Lily asked, raising her eyebrows and she looked up at him. The others watched in amusement - watching the couple argue and bounce off each other was always interesting.

Jack looked at her, " C'mon baby," he said, " we need rid of him, and since you're beautiful and lovely, you'll be able to turn on the charm. Start talking about Torchwood - tell him whatever you want. Maybe take him to the pub, buy him a drink, slip the retcon in once he's got to the stage of trusting you. Retcon works on 99.9% of people. It'll work. Go for it. "

Lily shook her head as she stared at him, " Have I got this right? You're pimping out your wife to any passing doctor? Have you thought about this? "

" Aw come on," Jack said, " I'm only asking you to stop him uncovering what we have here. And also, find out what the missing body thing is? And I trust you - just go and get rid of him. "

Lily sighed and held out her hand for a few retcon tablets, " Give them here then. I suppose it'd be better if I go and deal with him, then if you do. I won't be long. Give me half an hour. You keep working on this thing and let me know the moment that something comes up. "

Jack pressed two tablets into her hand and then leaned down and kissed her cheek.

She sighed and turned away. Just as she was at the cog door, Jack said, " Oh, and Lily? Will you take him to that little cafe over the other side of the plass, please? "

Lily nodded but then suspiciously asked, " Why? "

Jack shrugged, " Our CCTV footage extends there - I want to be able to keep an eye on you ... and him. "

" Jack! You're impossible," Lily sighed, shaking her head. She grinned at him from across the room, " see you soon. "

As she left the room and headed out into the tourist office, she took off her glasses and slipped them into her pocket. She was wearing a pair of kitten heels, a pencil skirt, blouse, and her favoured tan trench coat.

She saw the skinny, tall doctor standing around and headed over to him - she wanted to know about the missing bodies before getting rid of him and she got ready.

She approached him, and he had his back to her.

She cleared her throat and he turned around to face her. He looked taken aback that she'd approached him and quickly looked her up and down - she smirked, knowing she was quite good looking, or beautiful as Jack insisted - before looking at her face in confusion.

" Hi," Lily said, " it's Rupesh, isn't it? "

" Um, yeah," the man said, confused.

" Lily Harkness," Lily said, sticking her hand out to him, " I'm Torchwood. "

He looked even more suprised now, and shook her hand hesitantly. She smiled confidently and he didn't know what to say - this random woman had come up to him, but she was Torchwood, and he was dying to know what Torchwood was.

" I think we need to talk," Lily said, " do you mind if sit down, maybe have a drink? "

The pair of them ended up sitting outside a cafe across the plass, with a drink each in front of them. Lily hadn't yet given him the retcon - she needed him to find out about the bodies.

" So," Lily said, " my collegues tell me you say there's bodies going missing? "

Rupesh seemed to have gotten over his initial shock and he nodded, " So, the two men at the hospital - they're your collegues, yeah? And you want to get to the bottom of this? "

" Yeah," Lily said, " so what do you know about these bodies? Three of them were chinese, yes? Were they related at all? "

Rupesh shook his head, " No. One was 27 years old, and the other two were in their 50s, but not from the same family. "

" Bit odd, don't you think? " Lily said, taking a sip of her drink, " I mean, statistically in a town this small - suspicious. "

" That's what I thought," Rupesh replied, " mind you, nothing compared to that hitchhiker those two friends of your pulled out of the guy's body. "

" Freak you out, did it? " Lily asked, observing him carefully, trying to figure him out.

" Oh yeah," he nodded, " this place ... it's just weird. Ever since I moved here, it's ... odd. "

" Tell me about it," Lily scoffed.

" You're ... you're not from here? " he asked her, suprised.

Lily smiled, " You mean the accent? Nah, I kind of picked it up. I'm from far, far away, but never mind me - where are you from? "

" Chesterfield," he told her, " came down here about 18 months ago. "

Lily smiled, trying to put him at ease to coax more information out of him, and to make him trust her (before she retconned him.) " Enjoying it? "

" Very much," he said, " it didn't pay much at first, but it could be worse. "

Lily smiled, fondly remembering when she first started getting paid at Torchwood. " Torchwood's paid by the crown, very well paid, you know. I never had much expendable cash until I came here - the first time I got paid, I went out and bought loads and loads and loads of clothes. My husband runs Torchwood too, so that's a bonus. "

Rupesh looked at her hand and spied the wedding ring and then said, " Is that the guy with the world war two look going on? You're married to him? "

" Yeah," Lily said, smiling at the thought of it.

" What's it like inside Torchwood. I mean, what do you do? " he asked.

" Why are you so interested? " Lily returned.

" Well from what I've heard, it just sounds so ... you know ... I dunno ... " he trailed off.

Lily smiled, "Exciting? "

" I suppose," Rupesh said.

Lily was about to reply when she noticed something going on not too far away. She saw a mother tugging on the arm of a child - the child was standing still, and Lily's eyes widened as she realised it was happening again.

She got to her feet and ran over, and she heard Rupesh get up behind her and follow her.

Lily pulled out her phone as she ran towards the woman. She dialled Jack, and he answered at once. Lily was in a panic, and she spoke loudly and urgently, " Jack, get up here! Right now! It's happening again - the children! Bring Owen with you - just get here now! "

She stopped in front of the mother and her child, her phone now closed but still clasped in her hand tightly. She looked at the mother and said, " Are you alright? "

" We're fine," the mother said, seeming embarrassed now, " she's just playing a game, I think. "

" Ok," Lily nodded, looking this way and that and trying to figure out what was going on - she looked to see if there were other children she could compare the girl in front of her to.

" Come on sweetheart," the mother said to her daughter, " people are staring at you! Sasha, stop it! "

Lily glanced at Rupesh and saw that he was breathing deeply as he stared - he clearly didn't understand what was going on, and Lily couldn't blame him - it's not like she knew what was going on herself.

Suddenly, the little girl's mouth opened and she let out a high pitched scream. Lily stared, confused and knelt down in front of the little girl - she laid her hands on the girl's shoulders and looked at her, and told the mother, " It's ok, I just want to help. I work for the police."

" Lily! " Jack shouted, hurrying over, closesly followed by Owen.

" What's she doing? What's that noise? " Owen asked as the two men reached the mother, child, Lily and Rupesh.

" I don't know," Lily said, " some kind of frequency - all the kids are emitting it, but I can't figure out why! "

Across the plass, a few other kids were making the same noise - Lily didn't know what to do - it was so completely freaky and she didn't know how to deal with something like that.

" Sasha! " the girl's mother shouted at her, " Sasha! Stop it! Please, stop it! "

" There's more! " Rupesh said, pointing across the hub. Jack pulled out his phone and started filming for future reference, and Owen knelt down beside Lily, " don't worry," he told the girl's mother, " I'm a doctor, it's ok. "

Suddenly, the noise stopped and the children all started chanting in unison.

" We. We. We. We. We. "

It was a deep monotone voice and Lily stared, trying to figure out what was going on. She prayed that the kids would stop, but they didn't. This was more serious than she'd seen before - who'd want to control kids like that?

" We are. We are. We are. We are," the children started saying.

" We are what? " Lily demanded, shaking the girl in front of her.

" We are coming," the children all chanted, " we are coming. We are coming. We are coming. "

They continued to chant over and over again, and Lily exchanged a horrified look with Jack - it sounded like they were heading for a serious alien invasion.

" We are coming," the children all continued.

" Please, oh my God," the frantic mother said, desperate for her daughter, " stop it! Stop it! "

" Who are you? " Lily demanded, shouting first at the girl, but then looking around in general, " what's going on? Who's coming? "

Silence.

The silence came all at once, and slowly Lily released her hold on the child, watching in fascination. There was a pause, and the little girl blinked and looked up at her mother.

" Come on then," she said innocently, " let's go. "

Owen got to his feet and Lily hesitated before also getting to her feet and taking a step away. The girl's mother gave the four of them a strange look, before taking her daughter's hand and leading her away as quick as possible.

" Oh my God," Owen said, " what the hell do we do? "

" Run," Lily said, starting for the tourist office.

She, Owen and Jack made a mad dash for the tourist office, and due to all the years she'd been running around and away from aliens, even her little heels couldn't stop her from running.

They stopped just outside the tourist office, and none of them realised that Rupesh had followed them until they came to a halt and Jack yanked open the tourist office door.

He looked over his shoulder and said, " Lily, I'll get onto the home office. This thing's gone public - they're going to need our help. " He noticed Rupesh and closed the door to the tourist office, shaking his head, " woah, woah, woah, where d'you think you're going? "

" Um, I dunno, I could help," he offered.

" Torchwood already _has _a Doctor," Owen said, folding his arms and all ready to square up to the man.

" Yeah," Jack told Rupesh, " I'm sorry, but how are you going to help? "

Before he could reply, Lily pointed a finger at his pocket, " Your pager's going off. They're going to need you in A&E - it'll be full of frantic parents. The whole city's come to a standstill. "

Rupesh sighed and gestured at the tourist office, " What's in there? " he asked.

As Owen and Jack disappeared into the tourist office, Lily tapped her nose and then followed her husband and her friend into the tourist office and slammed the door after her.

The three of them made a mad dash into the hub and Jack headed straight for his office, followed by Lily. Lily shouted over her shoulder at the rest of the team,

" I want to know what's going on! Cross referencing - search the web - anything you can find me! "

In the hub, Ianto looked for reports and searched the computers with Tosh, while Jack picked up the phone.

He stood in his desk and bit down on his lip nervously while he waited for an answer. He looked so sad and Lily hated that, but she was confused and panicked herself. She sighed as she thought about it, and Jack glanced her at.

He held out his free hand to her and looked down at her hand, and she smiled.

She held out her hand, and he took hold if it firmly - it was hardly a comfort in the situation that they were stuck in, but it was a little something, at least.

Lily listened into Jack's side of the conversation and watched his reactions.

" John Frobisher please," he said, before sighing angrily, " Just tell him it's Captain Jack Harkness, he'll take the call ... tell him it's Torchwood ... you're working for the home office and you've never heard of Torchwood? ... New? Just what I need! ... sorry, not your fault. You picked a hell of a day. Listen, just tell him Torchwood ... we might be able to help ... what was your name? ... well, good luck, Lois Habiba. "

He hung up the phone and shook his head, " Couldn't get through. This is not our day. "

" So we keep working," Lily said, heading bakc into the hub, dragging him with her by the hand.

" What have we got? " Jack asked, clapping a hand to Owen's shoulder, as they all gathered around the computers, " anyone? "

" I've got a little something," Ianto said, holding up his hand, " it's some kind of transmission, a pulse, a broadcoast. Like a mosquito alarm - one only the kids can hear. "

" Unique to pre-pubescents? " Owen asked, alarmed

" Maybe testosterone interferes with the signal," Tosh offered up, " hormones, oestrogen... "

" Wait! " Gwen said, turning around the computer screen she was working at, " Look at this! "

They all looked in the direction she was indicating and waited. A piece of footage started up - it clearly said that it was made in Taiwan and protrayed a Taiwanese child, but when the child spoke, it spoke in English.

" It's English - they're speaking English," Gwen said triumphantly.

Lily nodded, her best brain on as she tried to piece everything together, " Every single child in the world is speaking English - "

Jack cut her off and said, " I guess if you scanned Earth from the outside, you'd register English as the dominant language. "

" Actually, you wouldn't," Lily said, shaking her head as she considered it, " that would be Chinese - well, Mandarin, actually. There's about a billion people speaking Mandarin. That's three times more than English. Whatever this is, it's targeted at English and we're facing a threat - I'm telling you, this is targeted at us. "

" Oh my God," Tosh said, though she was looking at her own computer screen.

" What? " Lily asked, narrowing her eyes, not sure that she could take any more complications on this.

" Everyone ready? " Tosh asked, looking around, " so every child in the world is talking in unison, aren't they? " There was a murmer of agreement, and Tosh added, " Every single child ... and one man. "

She showed them all the screen and Lily bit down on her lip as she looked at the screen, struggling to process everything. She looked at it and sighed - this was all getting too much and it was much bigger than they could imagine.

An old man on the screen was standing in some kind of garden and he was chanting, " We are coming. We are coming. We are coming. "

" What? Who the hell's he? " Jack demanded.

" Name's Timothy White," Tosh explained, reading the background information that she'd picked up for it and dug into, " he's a patient in the psychiactric ward at the Duke of York hospital, East Grinstead. "

" Where did this footage come from? " Lily asked, completely shocked by it - there was no way that this added up. She hated the fact that she didn't know what to do - quite frankly, the whole thing completely bemused her. But now it had taken a sinister turn - every child in the world had started to talk in unison - they were all possessed - and one man. There had to be something wrong with this one man.

" The staff emailed it to the police," Tosh replied, " but every police force is swamped with mums and dads going absolutely mental, so it's just waiting in line. I reckon no-one else has noticed him yet. "

" East Grinstead, you say? " Ianto asked her.

" That's what, two hours away? " Jack asked Ianto, raising his eyebrows.

" I'll go there, if you want," Gwen said.

" Good," Lily nodded, " Tosh, do you want to go too? Find out as much as you can and get back to me. Ianto, I'll need you to keep going at the computers - you're not Tosh, but you're the best we've got otherwise. Owen, give him a hand. I want to know everything we possibly can about this. "

Tosh and Gwen started off, and Lily shouted after them to keep in touch. Owen hurried after Tosh and took her face in his hands, planting a firm kiss on her lips, before she blushed and left - Lily smiled - she recognised the signs. He was in love with her, she was sure of it.

With the four of them left, Lily looked at the time - it was nearing lunchtime and they hadn't gotten any closer to a solution.

A thought suddenly occured to Lily and she looked around the Owen, Jack and Ianto, " I'm sorry," she said, " I should have asked, Owen, Ianto, have you got any children in your families? Is there anyone you should be getting in touch with? "

Owen shook his head, but Ianto looked hesitant, " My sister ... she's got two kids. "

" Do you need to go see your sister? " Lily asked.

" What, just leave work? " Ianto asked, shocked.

" Just briefly, if you need to," Lily said, " Ianto, we're facing an alien invasion here, I imagine, and I've got a feeling that this is going to be huge. We need to get this sorted out, but we need to stick together and all help each other. This is a time for families - we've got to stick together. " She suddenly turned to look at Jack, " What about Stephen? Should you get in touch with Alice? "

Jack sighed, " Porbably - she doesn't like me much, but ... we need a child. "

Lily raised her eyebrows, " We ... what? This isn't the time for starting a family, Jack. We're a bit busy right now. "

Jakc shook his head, " No! We need a child because we need to test those frequencies. Find the right frequency, and we can find out who's transmitting. "

" You can't go testing on your grandson, Jack," she said sharply - she didn't agree with testing on any children. She felt like testing on children was wrong - children were special - it was wrong to test on them.

" Well what else do you expect me to do about it? " Jack asked her, sighing in exasperation.

" I don't know! " she replied, running her hand through her hair, worried about what to do, " I don't know what to do Jack! Every child on earth is talking in unison, as if one man. We need to figure out how this is happening before we can go any further. But testing on children ... "

" I really don't see any other option, baby. This is all I can try," he said, " I'll ... I'm going to have to go. I'll see you soon. I'll stay in touch. "

Lily was resigned to the fact that they couldn't do anything else, and before he could turn away from her she reached out and slipped her arms around his waist, " I need a cuddle, Jack. "

Jack smiled despite the situation and wrapped his arms around her. He hugged her to him and when they broke away, he looked between she, Owen and Ianto.

" So what's your plan? " he asked, " I'd like to make it clear at this point that none of you are going anywhere on your own. Gwen and Tosh have each other, so you three have got to stick together - we don't know what we're up against here. We need to stick together. "

" You're going off on your own," Ianto pointed out.

" I'm different," Jack said.

Lily pulled a face at him, " Watch what you're doing, please. Ring me as soon as you know anything. "

Jack nodded, and Lily added, " We're going to do some more research, and then we'll pay a visit to Ianto's sister, just check up on her and the kids. It's the least we can do. "

Ianto shook his head, " We don't need to - "

" Nonesense," Lily said, " they're just children! They deserve to be looked after, and we're damned well going to do it. "

Jack tilted his head a little as he looked at her and he and the other two men were thinking similar things. Somehow Lily was so different - she'd never been big on children, but she seemed kind of broody and motherly, and they could each imagine her making a good mother. And that scared the hell out of Jack.

Jack looked at her and said, " You do whatever you think is right. I'll keep in touch. "

Lily nodded and she and Jack shared a quick kiss before Jack left them to it.

As soon as Jack was gone, Ianto turned back to the computers and Lily sat down on her desk, thinking about it all. She was trying to work it out, and as she did so, Owen observed her - he noticed how sensitive she'd been about this whole thing and how she'd taken control but seemed over sensitive about the whole topic - even snappy and defensive.

It occured to him that she might just need a bit of help.

" Are you alright, Lily? " Owen asked.

Lily looked up at him and considered the question, " Not really. This whole thing's stressing me out, and on top of that, I'm stressed out anyway, and ... it's really not what we need right now, is it? "

Owen was still looking at her, and as her hand subconsciously moved to her stomach, his eyes narrowed in suspicion. He observed as she sat still for a moment but then slid off the desk and went to stand behind Ianto, watching what he was doing.

Owen was about to say something when Lily's mobile rang. She pulled it out and was suprised to see Jackie Tyler calling - but not suprised in other ways.

Jackie, Pete and their two year old son lived in Cardiff, but at the other side of the town. They'd come back from the parallel universe when Rose did and stayed here.

Pete now had a job working in some kind of office, and Jackie had a part time job in a shop while looking after her son at all the other times. They'd decided that they wanted nothing to do with Torchwood and stayed well enough away, but had taken down Lily's number in case of emergencies.

" Hello," Lily said, answering the phone quickly and pacing around as she spoke.

" Lily, it's Jackie," Jackie said loudly, as if Lily could mistake her, " what's going on? I've seen it on the news! All the kids talking in unison! "

Lily held the phone a little away from her ear and said, " Jackie, honestly we're investigating it. How's Tony? I take it he's alright? "

" Oh well he's not been affected," Jackie said, " there's not something ... wrong with him, is there? "

" No! " Lily insisted, " he's not old enough - can barely say two words as it is, right? We're thinking that's it's pre-teens, but older than toddlers. "

" Well it had better not affect him," Jackie said sharply, " I've had to put up with enough rubbish from your bloody father with my Rose. The last thing I need is my little boy affected - we've been fine here in Wales but - "

" Jackie, Tony should be fine," Lily said, " we - "

" I want to know your word on this," Jackie replied loudly, " don't fob me off - what's going on? "

Lily sighed and ran a hand through her hair, " Look, we don't know what's going on, but Jack and I have got a dedicated team and we're doing our best to look into it. I don't know any more than that, but just ... keep Tony with you, but don't worry too much. As far as we can tell, it's affecting children who can actually speak. "

Jackie seemed happy enough with that, and put the phone down. Lily stuffed her phone into her pocket and then reached for her coat behind her desk and pulled it on.

As she buttoned it up, she said, " Come on, you two. Let's get to your sister's place, Ianto, and check up on her and her kids. Then we'll come back and do further research. "

Ianto nodded and he and Owen did as they were told. Owen kept glancing at Lily sideways as they walked out to the SUV and he looked at her, desperate to know what was going on - he was certain that their was something on her mind. She seemed even more stressed out than the situation demanded and he realised she'd been a bit off for a couple of days.

As they got to the SUV, Lily tossed Ianto the keys, " You might as well drive, since I don't know where we're going. "

Ianto got in the front of the SUV, Lily got in the passenger seat, and Owen was about to get into the back, but instead got in beside Lily.

" C'mon, budge up," he said, " I'm not getting in the back on my own. "

Lily shrugged and the three of them were in the front of the SUV as Ianto set off at top speed.

He'd barely turned the first corner before Owen looked at Lily and said, " Are you going to tell us what's going on, then? You looked stressed out to the max, and you're ... you're worried about something, aren't you? "

Lily looked up at him and her eyes were filled with worry. She didn't say anything, and Ianto turned to look at her too - he'd always noticed that she was worried but naturally assumed that she was worrying about what was going on today. He hadn't realised that she'd been off for more than today.

She felt Ianto and Owen looked at her from both side and she held up her hands, " Can we just focus on the situation at hand? Never mind me! Focus on the kids. "

Owen and Ianto exchanged a look.

No-one said anything for a few moments, until Lily shook her head and looked from Ianto to Owen and back again a few times as she spoke, " I'm sorry I snapped at you. You're both right - I've been a bit distracted these past few days. I was trying to hide it - Jack doesn't suspect a thing, but ... "

She trailed off and shook her head.

" Lily? " Owen prompted, the conversation completely serious as they drove along, " you're ... are you pregnant? "

Ianto stared, shocked.

Lily took a moment to compose her thoughts and then shrugged, " I don't know. I might be. "

Ianto raised his eyebrows, " Wow," he said, " I take it it wasn't ... planned. "

" Course not," Lily scoffed, " this is a mess. We've only been married a few months - we've not really dicussed children. This is far too early for us - I ... I can't be pregnant "

" But you haven't done a test? " Owen asked

Lily shook her head, " No," she said quietly, " but I'm a couple of weeks late. Like ... a month. Suppose it might just be late, but ... well, I don't know. We use ... you know ... but it's not always effective, is it? "

After a pause, Owen added, " And you haven't told him? "

" Course not," Lily scoffed, " can you imagine that? We'd be terrible parents - absolutely no way! It's far too early in our relationship to be having kids! We haven't had enough time to enjoy each other, never mind kids. We wouldn't know how to bring one up ... we ... we can't. I can't be. "

" Lily," Ianto said, glancing at her for a moment before looking back at the road, " if you're pregnant, you're pregnant. You'll deal with it, and Jack will support you whatever you do. But don't stress yourself out until you know. "

" He's right, you know," Owen said, feeling a duty to help her out, " we've got enough to deal with today. If ... if you want, we could test you once we get back to the hub. Maybe it'll take your mind off it - if we can deal with that, then you could be focused and then start really homing in on today. "

Lily nodded, not sure what to say - the thought of being pregnant was terrifying. She supposed she wanted children at some point, but not right now. Partly because she didn't think she'd be any good at raising children.

She sighed - they had enough to contend with today, but the fact that it was involving children really made it hit home.

Ianto pulled up on a rough looking estate - there were rubbish bags everywhere, wheely bins turned on their sides, bits of furniture in the front gardens, and bikes abandoned in the street.

Ianto was the first to get out of the car, and Owen and Lily followed. Ianto knocked on the door of his sister's house and a moment later, a curvy dark haired woman answered the door.

She looked shocked at ianto's appearance and confused at Lily and Owen's being there, " OH bloody hell," the woman said, " we must be in trouble. Or is it Christmas? "

" Hi," Ianto said, as she stepped back to let them into the house, " guys, this is my sister Rhiannon. Rhiannon, these are my collegues, Owen and Lily. We were in the area, got the afternoon off work, so I thought I'd drop in before I drop these two off home for the day. "

Rhiannon smiled at the pair of them and led them into the living room, where two children - about 10 and 8 were causing chaos, a girl and a boy. They were loud and noisy and arguing with each other.

" How are they? " Ianto asked, gesturing towards the children.

" Yeah, it wa a bit of a scare," Rhiannon said, " I brought them home, just in case. But I reckon it's like a group hysteria thing - like when loads of girls all faint at the same time, you know. "

Ianto nodded and looked across at his niece and nephew, " I missed Mica's birthday, didn't I? I was thinking - I could take her to Macdonalds or something. "

" That's all of £3.95, big spender," Ianto's sister chastitised him.

" The cinema then," Ianto corrected, while Lily and Owen observed.

" Yeah, that'd be nice, wouldn't it Mica? " Rhiannon called across to her daughter, who nodded but didn't say anything. Rhiannon shook her head and said, " when were you thinking? "

" This afternoon maybe? " Ianto suggested, biting his lip. Lily rolled her eyes when he said it, knowing he was trying to get them a kid to investigate on - there was a very slim chance that Jack's daughter would let them use her son, but investigations needed to be carried out.

" No chance," Rhiannon said, " what about Saturday? "

" I'm kind of busy on Saturday," he replied.

" You're a civil servant," Rhiannon scoffed, while Lily and Owen could only stand around unhelpfully, " you lot don't work weekends - you invented weekends. And I'm not having her going out, not today, not with all that voice thing going on. I want them where I can see them. "

" But she'll be with me," Ianto pointed out, while Lily felt the urge to tell him not to investigate on his niece - she should be left alone, and Lily could understand Rhiannon's reluctantance

" She's staying put," Rhiannon said, shaking her head.

" Fine then," Ianto said, put out, " I won't bother you then. We'll just be going. "

As Ianto headed for the doorway, a big bulky man with curly hair walked in, " Aye aye," he said, nodding at Ianto, " Rhiannon reckons you've got yourself a girlfriend! Susan from down the road says she saw you out with a girl. Is this her? " he added, looking at Lily, with a grin, " surely she's too pretty for you. "

Lily laughed, and Ianto shook his head, " Jonny, this is my collegue, Lily. She's married to my boss, actually. "

Jonny shrugged, " Ah well, can't blame a guy for asking. " He took Ianto into a manly sort of bear hug and just as he held him back at arm's length to look at him, they heard a car alarm from outside.

" Eh, whose car is that outside then? " Jonny Davies asked, " is that you three? Black thing? "

" Oh that's the ... company car," Ianto nodded.

" You want to watch it on this estate, boy," Jonny laughed.

Owen raised his eyebrows, " Oh yeah? " he asked, worry creeping into his voice as he looked over his shoulder to the window, though is was blocked by curtains.

" But it's top of the range," Ianto pointed out, " triple deadlock. "

" Sounds like it," Jonny scoffed.

Lily frowned, getting a very bad feeling about this and headed for the door. Just as she got to the doorway, she heard tyres screeching and she ran outside, closely followed by both Owen and Ianto.

They'd gotten outside just in time to see the SUV being driven away.

" No! " Lily hissed, turning to look at her two collegues, and Jonny, Rhiannon, and their two children who'd all followed them outside, " no, we can't lose that car, Ianto! "

" It's got a triple deadlock! " Ianto protested, " they can't have! "

" Yeah, well they have, haven't they? " Owen pointed out, " let's get after them! "

" Yeah, we'll get them," Jonny, who seemed like an out and out thug, said, " see, what they do is, they drive around the block, then they come back for a lap of honour. The victory parade! " He picked up a brick and said, " we'll get 'em then! "

" Um, we should phone the police," Ianto said, as Lily sighed - this was all that they needed. They were trying to crack a mystery possession, but their damned vehicle had been stolen.

Jonny insisted it was much more fun his way, and Lily could only watch in despair as the SUV came around the bend, the horn being beeped as loud and as often as possible. They were shouting things out of the window and Jonny hurled his brick at the SUV, where it bounced off one of the side doors.

Rhiannon ushered her children back in and as the SUV drove away, they were powerless.

" No! " Lily said, " this is all that we need! "

" Don't get yourself worked up - it's not good for the baby. " Owen said, reaching out to take hold of her arm," think I saw a taxi rank a few streets back. Come on. "

" The baby? " Lily asked angrily, as Owen led the way and Ianto followed, " we don't even know if there is a baby, and if there is, I certainly don't want it! "

" Lily," Ianto said, shaking his head, " don't talk like that - you don't know what'll happen. "

" Whatever," Lily sighed, pressing a hand to her stomach as they hurried to the taxi rank, " I'll tell you one thing, if I am pregnant, this is the last thing I need. "

They made their way back to the hub, and as they did so, Lily tried to piece together everything they'd found out so far - none of it made any sense. She was hoping that they'd be able to wrap this up soon, but felt like this was going to drag out for ages.

It had alrready been a long day.

By the time they'd been to Ianto's sister's place, which was at the other side of the towm, and back, it was early evening.

Once they got back to the hub, they hadn't been back long when Gwen phoned up - she phoned Lily and said, " Lily, just so you know, we're on our way back now, almost home. "

" How did it go? Did you find anything good for us? "

" I'll fill you in when we get back if you want," Gwen said, " but I do need a favour. I need a search on a Clement Macdonald, could be M-C or M-A-C, and try the words "Holly Tree" and "Scotland". We're looking at the 1960s. "

" Got it," Lily nodded, looking at Ianto, who was firing up a computer, " anything else you think worth looking up? "

Lily heard Tosh mutter something in the background, and Gwen then told Lily, " Try the words Timothy White, with the option of Timothy White's, like the shop. "

" Yep," Lily nodded," I'll let you know if we find anything out. See you soon. Oh, and we've lost the SUV, but that's another story. "

She hung up on Gwen and then told Ianto everything Gwen had just told her. She stood at his shoulder as he researched, and Owen looked at her curiously.

" Do you want me to ... you know ... " he said awkwardly, " test you? "

" No," Lily said, shaking her head, holding up her hands, " can we just ... can we leave it for a bit? I can't face it, Owen. "

Owen frowned at her, " Lily, you need to know if you're pregnant or not - otherwise you're just going to stress yourself out. I'm trying to help you out here. "

Lily smiled at him softly, " It's not that I don't appreciate your help sweetie, but I'd really rather get this done first. I just ... can't, yet. And you've both got to swear to me that you won't tell Jack about this - I'm probably not even pregnant anyway! "

Owen and Ianto exchanged a look and both of them simply nodded.

" Thanks guys," Lily nodded.

Ianto continued to tap away at the computer and research what they were after. It took a while to load and they all waited to see what would come up.

It was another hour before Gwen and Tosh got back, and as they walked through the cog door, Lily called over to them, waving her hand at them in greeting, glad that they were both ok.

It was night by now, and they hadn't heard from Jack in a while, but Lily knew he'd be fine - she thought he'd be off investigating somewhere - it just seemed like something Jack would do, and she'd learnt by now to leave him to it when he was off investigating.

" How did it go? " Owen asked, taking Tosh into a hug as she reached his side.

" Yeah, we found out a few things," Tosh said when she and Owen broke apart, sharing a quick furvitive look with Gwen, before looking at the others, " what have we found out? And where's Jack? "

" Jack's still out," Owen said, " investigating, we think. "

Ianto stood in front of the computer and said, " There was a Holly Tree Lodge just outside Arbroath. It's a hotel now, but up until 1965, it was a state-run orphanage. And they had a Clement MacDonald. "

Gwen walked towards the autopsy bay but none of the others noticed, all gathered around the computer screen and reading it. Tosh claimed to be going to the toilet and also headed off in the direction of the bay, and Ianto ended up telling Owen and Lily what they'd already been over once.

Ianto continued, " He was taken into care, April 1965, after his mother died, no sign of the father. In November 1965 he was transferred along with - "

Ianto was cut off by the cog door wheeling back.

Lily looked up and breathed a sign of relief when she saw Jack coming through the door - he looked dishevelled and she'd forgotten about everything else as she looked at him.

" Jack," she breathed as he strode over to her.

Jack looked around the Owen and Ianto and then down at Lily - he noted that she looked stressed and worried and he laid both of his hands on her face and kissed her lips. She kissed back and when she felt his tounge begging entrance to her mouth, she smirked and pulled away - this really wasn't the time or place, she concluded.

" What's happened with you? " Lily asked him, trying to tug on his coat and straighten it.

Jack shook his head, telling all three of them," I went to see Alice, and then I got in touch with Dr Rupesh Patanjali - he works on a children's ward, I thought he could help but ... well, we need damage control at St Helen's hospital. One body - Rupesh. Shot in the back. "

Lily gasped, " What happened? "

" I do'nt really know," Jack confessed, " he was just left there, right on the floor next to me. Like someone's gloating to me or something - it feels like they're targetting us directly now. "

Lily took in his words and winced, " Did they kill you? " she asked.

" Yeah," Jack said, not looking at her.

Lily pulled a face and looked at him. Her hand was already resting on his back and she turned in towards him and got on her toes to kiss his lips. He smiled thinly, appreciating her love as always, and after she kissed his cheek, he kissed her forehead. He and looked around the hub, " I really feel like we're being targeted. Whether it was meant to be for me, or not, we should be careful - we're a threat to the Home Office, you know. We should warn Tosh and Gwen. "

Lily frowned - Torchwood were kind of a threat to the home office she supposed, since they were seperate from the government and could do whatever they wanted, but to be targeted. She didn't like the sound of that. In fact, she could feel danger building up. There was something very wrong about this.

" They're back," Owen said, " I think they're in the med bay "

" Gwen! " Jack shouted, walking off in that direction, " Tosh! I'm back! "

As Jack wandered off, both Owen and Ianto turned to look at Lily at the same time. She didn't notice at first, but once she noticed she rolled her eyes and asked, " What? "

" You're going to tell him, aren't you? " Owen asked.

" No I'm bloody not," Lily said, " I don't even know anything myself. I'll tell him once I'm sure. I - "

Lily was cut off, but Jack shouting out, " Guys! You three - get over here - we're having a Torchwood baby! "

Owen, Lily and Ianto were in complete shock - surely he couldn't know she was pregnant. But he sounded so happy - something had to be going on here.

Lily hurried off to the medical bay and the two men followed on behind her. Lily stopped at the top of the medical bay, and Owen and Ianto came up on either side of her.

Gwen was standing in the middle of the medical bay with a scanner pressed to her stomach, Tosh stood on the stairs watching, and Jack stood beside Gwen. A big image was projected up on the wall - the inside of Gwen's uterus, complete with a blinking red dot - a baby.

Lily felt knocked for six - for Gwen to be pregant. Actually pregnant. Jack looked so thrilled on Gwen's behalf and both Ianto and Owen congratulated her but looked at Lily too. Lily considered that it was just a short walk from where she was to the medical bay to get herself tested out.

" Congratulations," Jack said, as the others also voiced their happiness for her.

While Jack was so happy, a thought occurred to Ianto and he spoke up, " Would now be a good time to tell you that I've lost the car. "

" What? " Jack demanded, looking around at him.

Lily shook her head, " It wasn't his fault - I'll explain later. Con ... Congratulations, Gwen. "

Gwen sighed and looked at the scanner - clearly this was a shock to her too, but Lily saw the scan and considered that something similar could be happening to her too. She shook her head - she didn't want a baby right now - they hadn't planned it. She couldn't be pregnant.

" What about my job, Jack? " Gwen asked him, worried.

Jack placed a hand reassuringly over Gwen's, which was still on the scanner, " We'll manage," he tod her, " we always do. "

Suddenly, there was a very loud siren, and the whole of the hub became shrouded in bright red light. The siren sounded ridiculously loud and as everyone looked at the scanner - now showing Jack's stomach, the result was horrific.

There was a red death star or something in his stomach.

" No! " Lily shotued, realising what it was at once, " there's ... Jack! There's a bomb! In your stomach! "

" Oh my God," Jack said, shaking his head as Lily panicked - Jack was her entire world, she didn't know how not to be with him, and she needed him. She ran down the steps to the medical bay and ran towards him - she didn't know what she was going to do, but she was certainly going to do something.

" There's a bomb, inside your stomach," Lily said, pointing at him.

" Get out," Jack said calmly, but with authority, as he adressed everyone.

" No! " Lily said, as Gwen also protested, and the others did too.

" All of you! " Jack said, shouting over the alarms and desperately thinking about getting everybody out safe

" No! " Lily shouted, as she looked at him, " I won't leave you! "

" Right now! " Jack said, looking around at everyone, " I want you all out! This thing has a blast of a one mile radius! You're all going to ripped to shreds. "

When no-one seemed willing in the slightest to leave their boss and friend, Jack shouted first at Gwen, " Get out! Get out now - you're pregnant! "

At the same time, Owen was on the stairs of the medical bay, trying to convince Tosh to leave. Lily couldn't make out what he was saying because she was too busy trying to think of ways to get Jack out safely.

The next thing Lily knew, Gwen was running up the stairs - she was pregnant, and she had no other choice - she had to leave. Tosh took one last look around too, and left with her.

" Get out! " Jack shouted, grabbing hold of Lily and pushing her towards the stairs to the medical bay. She shouted angrily and turned around to face him, pushing him back and hitting his chest, trying to make him stop - she wanted to stay with him.

When it became clear that she wasn't leaving, he groaned in frustration and looked at Ianto and Owen," Get over here! " he shouted at them, " get her out of here! "

" I'm staying with you! " Lily said, reaching out and grabbing hold of his coat, clinging to him desperately - she couldn't face the thought of life without him, and managed to forget that she was possibly pregnant.

She started to sob and Jack could see that she wasn't going to go easily. The mood around them was so desperate and frantic and Owen and Ianto hovered nearby - they knew they should run, but they couldn't leave a possibly pregnant woman in there.

" Listen to me," Jack shouted over the siren, grabbing her arms, " it's active! You've got two minutes! "

" But you're my husband! " Lily shouted, much more loudly than he was, with tears pouring down her cheeks " I bloody love you! How can you expect me to leave you? I won't do it, Jack! I won't! There must be something we can do to fix it! " She was convinced that he wouldn't survive this - being blown apart from the inside - no way could he survive that, and she wouldn't leave him.

Around them in the hub came a recorded voice "Lockdown."

Jack sighed - he didn't want to be seperated from her either, but he'd do anything to ensure that she survived, regardless of whatever happened to him. " You're going to get locked in! "

He grabbed hold of her, much stronger than her and managed to drag her where he wanted her - she'd lost so much energy in trying to fight him off, and was still going for it, but wasn't a match for him now he was so determined.

" I want to stay here with you! " she screamed, trying to fight against him - Owen and Ianto hurried to the bottom of the invisible lift too - they were in lockdown - the cog door had solidly rolled shut, " I don't care what happens to me if I don't have you! "

" Lily! " Jack said, " stop being so bloody stupid! Get out! Get out, get out, get out _now! "_

" There'll be nothing left of you! " Lily told him, seriously worried that she'd never see him again - they'd been through so much together and she refused to believe that this was how it all ended, " I'll never see you again! "

" I can survive anything! " Jack assured her, " I promise - I'll come back, I always do. Now get out! "

He tried to bundle her onto the invisible lift and looked at Ianto and Owen, " Guys? A little help! She's going to kill herself at this rate! "

Neither Ianto nor Owen wanted to leave Jack but knew it was the only option. They both got onto the invisible lift beside her, and Jack kept tightly hold of Lily as he shoved her onto the lift.

" You're going to be blown apart from the inside out! " Lily shouted, grabbing hold of him and pulling him to her by his jacket, " you won't survive! I'll never see you again! I might as well stay! "

" Don't be stupid! " he roared, " what about your dad? Your friends? Bloody get out! I love you, I'll come back! "

Before she could reply, he leaned in and claimed her lips - they shared a very quick frantic kiss, grabbing at each others clothes and hair and even scratching each other as they clung on.

Lily was crying by now and was certain that she'd never see him again.

Jack also thought he was going to die - he didn't think he could get out of it, but he needed her to get out - she was his responsibility and he loved her - he needed her out safe and he'd never be able to live with the thought that she would die for him. He didn't care what happened to him, so long as she was alive.

" I love you! " he shouted over the siren, " no matter what - you're my wife. I'll always love you! "

" I love you! " Lily shouted as he let go of her and pressed the button for the list to go up. Lily shouted her protests and reached down for him, but Owen wrapped his arms around her and kept a tight hold of her so she couldn't move.

Once the lift was halfway up, she knew she couldn't do anything now, and she tried not to cry, but couldn't stop herself. She could see Jack from across the room and just knew he was going to die and she'd never see him again - she couldn't think about anything else and both Owen and Ianto kept their arms around her, worried what she'd do to herself.

Once the lift got to the top, Lily was in pieces and she felt totally numb - she wanted to fall to the ground and do nothing, but Owen's grip on her arm like an iron grip.

He wasn't letting go of her, and Ianto's grip on her other arm was very similar.

" Move! " she heard Owen shout at both she and Ianto.

The three of them ran as fast as they could and Lily found herself half running and half being dragged across the front of the bay. They'd only been running for a few econds when there was an almighty explosion behind them.

The noise of the blast was deafening, and the sheer blast threw all three of them to the floor. Lily found herself thrown to the ground and hit by several pieces of rubble. She coughed and spluttered and all she could think about was Jack.

* * *

**Author's Note: Please let me know what you think - I'm trying to get across how serious this one is, and it'll be a darker story on the whole than anything I've written for Jack and Lily before.**

**I didn't plan on her pregnancy scare until I came to write this chapter today - I wasn't planning on Lily and Jack having a baby for a while, and am thinking that she might have a miscarriage during CoE (to add drama, and give them something to deal with. I thought the fact that they lose their own children as well as possibly Stephen, would really add something) or just turn out not to be pregnant (just to add some drama and bring up the conversation between the pair of them about actually having children, because I don't think they've ever discussed it.). Let me know what you think - this is something I'm really unsure about - miscarriage, not actually pregnant, or pregnant and actually has the baby?  
**

**Secondly, it's that time again, I've got decisions to make about who lives and who dies! I've got Ianto to deal with - let me know what you think, I don't want to kill him, but am undecided really. As for Stephen, I've pretty much made up my mind, but I'll listen to any suggestions going.**

**Also, let me know if there's anything you'd want to see in the rest of the children of earth chapters, which i'll be writing soon. **


	4. Day Two Part One

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

Chapter Four

Lily coughed and spluttered, feeling rubble, concrete and bits of the hub fall all around her. She couldn't stop coughing and it didn't help that she was crying too, thinking about Jack - she was certain that he couldn't survive this - he'd been blown apart and surely even he couldn't survive that?

She kept her head down and spat out a bit of debris that had ended up in her mouth. She sat up slowly, breathing deeply and looking around - there was rubble, broken concrete and fire everywhere.

She crawled to her knees admist the wreckage and pressed a hand to her head, groaning. She felt terrible and she looked around to see that she wasn't far from a huge crater caused by the explosion.

She spared a thought for Tosh and Gwen and looked across the hub, hoping that they'd be alright because they'd gotten away first - they'd be further away.

As for Owen and Ianto, if anything had happened to them, it would be all her fault, because she hadn't wanted to leave Jack - she'd stayed behind to the very last moment, and they'd had to stay with her to restrain her and drag her off.

Lily tried to stagger to feet, and as she did so it was clumsy and she stumbled forwards. She started back towards the crater, dead set on looking for Jack, and heard someone call her name, though faintly.

She whipped around but couldn't see anyone, and the next thing she knew, there were a pair of arms around her middle from behind, dragging her away.

" No," she shouted, trying to push the person away, " I need to get to Jack! "

" Someone's trying to kill us! " Owen told her angrily, dragging her away. He managed to get her to turn around and face him and he looked at her, " someone's trying to kill us all, Lily! The best thing we can do is run! We've got to get through this, get to the bottom of this! "

Lily knew he was talking sense and his shouting at her had the right sort of effect as she knew she had to listen to him. She grabbed hold of his arm as if she'd only just realised he was there, " Owen. Owen, you're alright! "

" Not for much longer, if we don't move," Owen said, " where's Ianto? "

The both of them looked around, and Lily bit down on her lip so hard that she could taste blood - suddenly, she caught movement out of the corner of her eye and saw Ianto. She rushed towards him and grabbed hold of his arm, " Ianto! Oh, thank god! "

Ianto reached out and pulled Lily into a frantic hug, before looking at Owen.

" Someone's got it in for us," Ianto said, shaking his head, " they're trying to kill us too. "

" We're ... we're a threat to someone," Lily said, looking back towards the crater longingly.

" Don't even think about it! " Owen said, grabbing hold of her arm again and keeping hold of it, " we can't go back - Jack wanted us out safe - he wanted you safe. We've got the world to save. "

Lily knew that the pair of them were right and was about to say something when she saw smoke across the bay, and a red laser pointed at them through it. She didn't know who was firing it, but whoever it was had it in for them.

Torchwood knew a lot - they could be a huge threat to someone, but they needed to know who was behind this. They needed to get in touch with the Home Secretary - John Frobisher - as he'd need their help, he'd want them to help, surely. They could be a hue help - but who'd want to kill them?

" Run! " she screamed, heading off in one direction, sprinting as fast as she could.

As they ran as fast as they could, they heard shots fired towards them. The shots seemed to be hitting lamp-posts and bits of rubble and Lily knew now that someone was after them. She was breathing deeply as she ran - she was used to running from her life away from aliens, but this was a personal threat on their homes and their place of work. On her friends and her husband.

This was someone directly against her, and she knew that whoever it was, was aiming to wipe them out, and now they were shooting at them - it seemed like they'd stop at nothing.

They sprinted at top speed across the bay. They ran over the piles of rubble and rubbish and around the corner, where the sniper who was shooting at them - though they couldn't see the person - and the sniper continued to miss, and hit nearby pieces of rubble and lamp-posts.

They ran around the corner and it felt like they'd been running forever.

They were all out of breath by time they got around the corner, and they stopped just around the corner, down an alley way where they were out of sight.

They seemed to have lost their sniper and Lily closed her eyes and rested her back against the wall of the alley, resting her head their too. She groaned and tried to catch her breath.

Her mind was spinning and she felt like she was going to explode.

Her breathing became deeper and deeper as she thought about it all. Someone was trying to kill them, and they'd chased them with a gun - it seemed like they would stop at nothing, and they needed to know what was going on. Someone had blown up her home, she was on the run, and she and all of her friends were in danger - she didn't even know if Tosh, her best friend around the hub, and Gwen, newly pregnant, so happy to be expecting a baby, were alright.

And the children on Earth were all speaking in unison - possessed by some kind of alien force, but it was targeted at the Earth, and she had no idea where they could take it or what they should do to deal with it. There was no-one to help them now.

Then there was the fact that Jack had been blown to pieces, and she didn't think he'd survived it for a minute. Jack had been her everything since she'd met him, and she didn't know how she'd cope without him - he'd always stood by her, and he'd never let go of her. He'd been there for her at all the difficult times and she'd always thought their love could survive anything.

She told herself that she wasn't allowed to cry, and as she kept her eyes tightly shut, she let everything whirl around in her mind while she tried to catch her breath.

" Lily? You alright? " Ianto asked.

Lily frowned, " I'm not hurt but ... not alright. "

Lily let out a shaky sigh and rested a hand on her stomach.

She was starting to think about this possible baby in a new light. Maybe it wouldn't be such a bad idea if she _was _pregnant. Sure, she didn't think she'd be any good but ... after seeing Gwen's baby scan, she thought about how happy Gwen looked and how precious life was, and how precious a baby was.

And if Jack was ... she couldn't finish the thought. If Jack was ... gone ... then she'd have a part of him. She and Jack had never discussed children, but ... if she didn't have him, she needed this baby. Maybe it wouldn't be such a bad idea.

Owen and Ianto had both caught their breath by now and they looked each other before looking at Lily. Both men understood were struggling to think about what was going on, but knew that she was struggling even more than they were - they couldn't actually imagine what she was going through, but she didn't deserve everything that was happening.

Owen was worrying himself about Tosh, but convinced himself that she'd be alright - he'd made her get out early. She'd be alright. It hadn't been _his _partner blown apart from the inside. Although he prayed she'd be alright - he'd not told her loved her. He needed to tell her, he knew.

Owen looked down at her hand, which was resting gently on her stomach.

He cleared his throat and tried to be gentle and reassuring despite what the whole situation surrounding them right now was. " It doesn't hurt, does it? " he asked her, frowning. He and Ianto had been determined to get the possibly pregnant woman out of the hub, but with the blast, he'd forgotten about it. He now realised that after a blast that big, there was a pretty big chance that she'd done some damage to herself.

Lily looked at him wide eyed

Owen said carefully, " The baby ... it doesn't ... it doesn't hurt? "

She shook her head, looking away from him and down to the ground, " We don't even know that there is a baby. I might be getting worked up over nothing. It's the least of our worries. "

" You really need to know," Ianto said, shaking his head, " with everything that's going on here, it's too much to have on your mind. "

" We'll get you a test," Owen said, " if we can deal with that first, then at least it's off your mind. "

" We've got to get away from here! " Lily said, looking from one to the other and shaking her head, " we've got to move - we're on the run - someone tried to kill us! We can't just wander into Superdrug and start buying out pregnancy tests! "

" Yeah, I know," Owen said, " that's why we're going to steal one. We'll get you sorted out - trust me, it'll be such a weight off your mind once you know what's really going on. Then we'll find out where Gwen and Tosh are, and what's going on around here. "

Lily didn't want to take a test - it was the least inportant thing considering someone was trying to kill them, but Owen and Ianto insisted and her mind was so scrambled and all over the place that she didn't know what to do.

Owen and Ianto were armed with guns, and had insisted on grabbing their guns before they left the hub. Lily hadn't picked hers up, and as they hurried along the streets, Ianto pulled a gun out of his pocket and handed it to her.

" There wasn't time to find your stun gun," Ianto told her by way of explanation, " but I grabbed a gun on the way out for you. "

Lily frowned and didn't take it from him, she looked at him, and Ianto shook his head. " Lily, this really isn't the time to get all moral, is it? Someone's trying to kill us! What would Jack tell you to do? "

Lily flinched at the thought of Jack and she nodded, " He'd ... he'd tell me to stop being so stupid. He'd make me take it, wouldn't he? To protect me. "

" Exactly," Ianto said, stuffing it into her front pocket before she could protest.

Ianto quite frankly thought that Lily was falling apart with Jack, and with the baby to think about, her friends to think about, the whole alien invasion and kids talking in unison. He knew she must be terrified and that she didn't know what to do, so he decided it was up to him and Owen to take control.

Ianto knew what they should do, and he knew Lily needed some pushing to do things properly and to keep her moving - he understood that she was stuck thinking about Jack, and he knew she needed some pushing to get her moving and stop her thinking about Jack.

Jack had wanted them all out, and he'd want them safe.

Lily sighed at the thought of carrying a gun around all the time, but said nothing more about it - there was hardly a choice. She then looked at Owen, " What are you thinking, Owen? We won't be able to go to a shop - it's the early hours of the morning - it's still dark for god's sake! "

" Late night chemists," Owen shrugged, " don't worry - we'll fix this. "

They hurried through the streets and got to the high street after 15 minutes or so. Once they were there, Owen left Ianto and Lily in the street and headed for the chemist.

" Hey! " Lily shouted after him, " get back here! "

He frowned and came to stand in front of her and she reached out and straightened his jacket, " We're all filthy," she said, looking around at them, " we must look like such a state. "

"Just stay here," Owen said, looking at Ianto - the two men shared a look which expressly said that they needed to keep an eye on Lily. She was fragile and scared right now.

Owen turned away, and when Lily and Ianto were left on the street, Lily clapped her hands together and looked at Ianto, " Ok," she said, " we need to get ready - we need a game plan. Someone's trying to kill me, you, Owen, Tosh, Gwen, and they ... they might have ... they've killed Jack. "

" He'll survive," Ianto said, " he always does. "

Lily wasn't so sure and she said, " We have to know who's behind this, because it's no co-incidence that it happens on the same day that children across the world start talking in unison. "

Ianto nodded, " Someone's trying to kill us to ... what? Why would they want to wipe Torchwood out? "

" We're obviously a threat to someone," Lily said, managing to pull herself back together. For the first time since the explosion, she felt alight and was ready to deal with the problem. She was going to face this head-on. She spotted a phone box up the street and headed towards it, " which means that someone knows about whatever's possessing the kids, and knows we deal with aliens and will uncover it. They need us out of the way so we won't discover what's going on here. "

Ianto followed her to the phone box and as she opened the door, he rooted around in his pocket for some change.

" Smart move," he said, " your phone could be bugged. "

Lily accepted some change from him and pushed it into the phone box, " We need to find out how Gwen and Tosh are," she said, moving over so that Ianto could get into the phone box with her.

She pulled out her mobile to get Tosh's mobile number, and she dialled the number using the phone in the phone box. She held the phone between she and Ianto and both of them could hear it ringing. It rang and rang and Lily could feel the knots ringing in her stomach as she waited for Tosh to pick up.

Tosh didn't answer and Lily was terrified. She exchanged a wide eyed look with Ianto and both of them were thinking the exact same thing. Lily swore under her breath and tried ringing Gwen instead.

When someone answered the phone, it was a male voice, and Lily assumed that it was Rhys, " Hello? " he asked.

" Is Gwen there? Or Tosh? It's really urgent," Lily said, as she and Ianto leaned in to the phone to listen to what was going on - they heard Gwen shouting at Rhys not to answer the phone, and Rhys said into the phone,

" It's Lily, right? She's here," Rhys replied.

Gwen took the phone from Rhys and spoke into it, " Lily! Are you ok? And do you know where Owen and Ianto are? What's going on? "

" Yeah, they're both with me, we're all ok," Lily said, " and Tosh? "

" With me," Gwen said quickly, " have you heard from Jack? "

Lily couldn't answer the question and she didn't quite know what to do or what to say. Beside her, Ianto called into the phone, " No. Have you? "

" No," Gwen replied, " I'm sorry, Lily, really I am. Do ... do you think he survived? "

" No," Lily replied and the same time that Ianto replied, " Yes. He usually does - he's going to be fine. Any idea who it was? Any idea what's going on? "

" Yeah," Gwen told them, " Tosh and I had a run in with one of them. Said he worked for the government. "

" Government? " Lily echoed, " that doesn't make any sense? What has the government got against us? Why would they ... God, this is so stupid. "

" And they've blocked off all of our credit cards," said Gwen, " mine, Tosh's, Rhys'. Whatever's going on, they've got some kind of government alert on us - they're after us. They won't let us have any money. "

" Shit," Ianto swore, " what'll we do? "

" How did they get close enough to plant a bomb inside him, anway? " Gwen asked, while Lily heard Tosh echo the same thought from behind.

" They killed him," Lily said, " it was that damned Dr Rupesh. I thought he was a good guy - thought we could trust him, but he was shot and killed in the hospital earlier today, and they killed Jack too. Whoever it was, they're going to kill the lot of us too, given half a chance. "

On Gwen and Tosh's end, Lily and Ianto heard Rhys shouting that he'd found the car keys, and Gwen told him to get the bag and get the car ready.

" You're running? " Lily asked.

" Oh yes," Gwen said, " what are you doing? "

Lily sighed, " We'll have to run. As soon as ... we're going to run, soon. "

" Where shall we meet, Lily? " Gwen asked. Lily didn't reply at first, and Gwen asked, " Ianto? "

" Hold on, your phone could be bugged," Ianto said quickly, causing Gwen to groan in frustration.

" We need to get on to the Home Office, find out what's going on," Lily added, " we've got to find out where this is going, and find out as much as possible about what's happening to the kids. "

" Ok," Gwen said, sounding nervous, " erm ... er ... remember the last time we had ice cream together, Ianto? "

" No," Ianto said, frowning - Lily didn't know either.

" You do," Gwen said, " it was after the grandslam. "

" I don't like ice cream," Ianto said, shaking his head.

Gwen sighed, " I've really got to be. Rhys is beeping the horn - if we leave it any longer they'll be onto us. I've had a call from PC Andy - he reckons that they're putitng out a call for us as terrorists. "

" Terrorists? " Lily asked, " for God's sake. Right ... you'd better get off. We'll work this out - we will. Hang in there, stay safe, all of you - and just do whatever you can to get to the bottom of this. "

Gwen said goodbye and then hung up, and as Lily hung up, Ianto and she stepped out into the street.

Lily's mind felt scrambled and she felt like her mood was going from one to the other so rapidly that it was ridiculous. She watched as Owen came hurrying up the street towards them, and he stopped in front of them, looking up and down the street.

" We rang Gwen," Ianto said, " she's alright, she's with Rhys, Tosh is with them. "

" Toshiko's alright too? " Owen asked quickly, nervously.

" She's fine," nodded Ianto.

Owen breathed a sigh of relief and nodded, " Oh, thank God. Thank God - I was so worried about her. " He took a deep breath and then looked at Lily, " Got them, by the way. "

" I really don't want to take a test," Lily said, shaking her head, " I don't ... I'm scared. "

" Hey," Owen said softly, reaching out to lay his hand on her arm, " of course you're scared - this is a huge thing, there'd be something wrong with you if you weren't scared. Having a baby's a big thing at any time, never mind when you work for an alien catching team, and the baby's dad's ... missing. But you need to know what's going on - trust me, it'll take your mind off the uncertainty, won't it? "

When Lily didn't answer, Ianto said, " It will, trust us. My sister had to be forced to take a pregnancy test too - she left it and left it because she was scared and by the time she took it, she was almost three months gone anyway. The sooner you do it, the better. "

" Fine," Lily said, " but I'm not peeing on a stick in the middle of the street. "

" Three sticks actually, just to be sure," Owen said, " and I think there's some public toilets around the next street. They're probably not very nice, but ... "

" Fine," Lily mumbled.

She was determined to stay strong and knew she might as well focus on this pregnancy issue first.

The nerves built up inside her and were overwhelming - she was panicking about being a mum, not thinking she'd be any good, and worried about what Jack would say. She thought Jack would make a terrible dad in some ways, and she worried about how she could possibly have a child when she worked with aliens all day. And add to that the fact that Jack wasn't even around, and she was sure that he was dead. She couldn't bring up a child at all, never mind alone. She didn't want to be alone.

But if Jack was gone, then this was all she had left of him.

And after seeing Gwen's scan - it was still a life, after all.

They stopped outside the public toilets and both Ianto and Owen looked at her. Lily took a deep breath and held out her hand, " I suppose you'd better give me the tests then, hadn't you? "

Owen reached into his pocket and pulled out three cardboard boxes, passing the three of them to her. Lily thanked him but didn't take a step forward.

" I can't," she said, turning to Owen - as much as she liked Ianto, she felt closer to Owen. She looked up at him and her eyes were filled with worry - she'd been feeling so strong until right now, but now she felt close to breaking point.

" I don't want to hear that," Owen said, reaching out and laying both of his hands on her shoulders, " you're ... you're the spacegirl! You can do anything that you put your mind to, and you're not going to let this little human problem get in way, are you? "

Lily didn't say anything.

" Come on," Owen said, turning her around to make her face the entrance to the female toilets and talking into her ear, " get in there and find out if I'm going to be an uncle. "

Lily took a breath and nodded, before looking over her shoulder at him, " You do know you won't actually be it's uncle, don't you? Since you're not actually my brother. "

" Yeah, but I'll be _as good as _an uncle, won't I? " Owen said, smirking, " I know I'm not big on affection, but I do seem to make exceptions for you - it's like having a little sister. Now get in there and take the damned tests. "

Lily nodded and took a few steps forward before stopping around turning around, " Will you come with me? " she asked the pair of them.

They exchanged a little look, and Owen was the first to start forwards, " Might as well," he said, " it's not like there'll be many people hanging around in the toilets in the early hours of the morning, anyway. "

Lily went into the toilet cubicle and came out a few moments later, holding three seperate pregnancy tests in her hand. She sighed and walked past Ianto and Owen, and sat on the worktop, between two sinks.

" Two minutes for all of them," she said.

She put the tests down beside her and closed her eyes. Her knees were pulled up and she rested her elbows on her thighs and her head in her hands.

She felt a hand on her back, rubbing in gentle soothing circle and knew it was Ianto by the soft touch of his hand.

It felt like the longest two minutes of her life - longest two minutes ever and Lily found herself feeling more and more nervous wth every moment that passed. She prayed that she wasn't pregnant - she couldn't do it alone. Jack was dead. She couldn't do it - she was feeling that she was going to go mental soon, and she didn't know what to do. She couldn't bring up a baby alone, and she couldn't bring up a baby at all. Even if Jack turned out to be alive, he wouldn't want it - it would ruin his life. He loved catching aliens!

Even if she ... she stopped and started to think about it a little. Maybe ... no. Just no. But maybe they could and ... but, Jack wouldn't want it if he was alive, but he was dead anyway. She didn't even want to live without Jack, never mind bring up a baby.

She didn't want to do anything right now - Jack was dead. She couldn't go on without him, she was sure of it. And on top of that was tha fact that someone was trying to kill her - she was determined to save her friends, but after that, she just didn't care.

She was close to going out of her mind when the first tears welled up. She closed her eyes tighter and forced them away, but her breath became shaky and she felt Ianto's hand travelling lightly across her back.

" It's been two minutes," Owen said.

Lily could only just comprehend his words and she looked up slowly.

The three tests were on the other side of the sink and she couldn't bear to pick them up and deal with this. She just couldn't bring herself to face any of it.

She stared at the tests and then looked at her two friends. She thought about the first time she'd met them both - they'd just been people who worked for Jack, and they'd both been rather suspicious of her, at that. Since then they'd grown into friends and tha circumstances surrounding them had forced them to become friends, until here they were.

She felt like she was porbably leaning too heavily on them right now, but it was all she could manage to do - she knew if she didn't have them, she'd fall apart. She was so close to the edge as it was.

" I'm sorry," she said, gesturing at the test, " could you ... c-could you ... "

" D'you want me to look? " Owen finished for her, raising his eyebrows, " come on, you can trust me - I'm a doctor aren't I? "

Lily nodded and while Owen moved over to the pregnancy tests, Lily turned in towards Ianto. She bit down on her lip in worry, and Ianto slid his arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer, keeping a hold on her. Ianto was nothing if not caring and sympathetic.

Lily waited with shaky breath and was breathing deeply - she didn't know what to do, what to say, even how to think. She kept hold of Ianto with one hand - her hand was curled tightly into the back of his jacket and she felt like a defenceless child, not the experienced 210 year old alien she actually was.

Owen cleared his throat and Lily looked at him.

" Are you ready? " he asked.

Lily stared at him - his face was perfectly blank which was infuriating - she wanted to know what was going on, but she too scared. She thought of her dad - he'd tell her off for being scared, she knew it. He'd tell her not to be a coward, certainly.

" Oh my God," she said, looking at Owen, " you know. You know, don't you? "

Owen nodded, " I know. Do you want to know? "

She nodded slightly and her eyes widened as she looked at him. She tried to slow her breathing down and it felt for a moment like everything had stopped - everything. She didn't know what to do or think, but she kept looking at Ianto. She didn't even know what she wanted the outcome to be.

" You're pregnant," Owen said, his face still a blank mask - he didn't know what she wanted either, and he didn't know how he should react to it. He and Ianto exchanged worried looks.

Lily's heart pumped faster than every before and her hand flew to her mouth in shock - she couldn't believe it. It was not what she wanted to hear right now - with everything else that was going on, it was really the last thing that they needed.

" Are ... are you sure? " she managed to stammer out.

Owen looked down at the three tests. He put one down on the side of the sink and said, " Positive - pregnant. " He put down the next one, " Positive - pregnant. " He put down the last one, " Positive - pregnant. 6 weeks. "

" 6 weeks? " Lily asked, stunned, " 6 weeks? Really? Oh my God. I can't be ... I ... what do I do? This can't be right ... I ... I can't have a baby. "

" I think you might have to face up to this one," Ianto said gently, rubbing her back, " you're pregnant, Lily. "

Lily shook her head and bit down on her lip.

She looked up at Ianto with big wide eyes and looked from he to Owen and back again a couple of times, " I can't have a baby, I can't! I don't want to! "

" Hey," Owen said, closing in on her and wrapping his arm around her from the other side, making her firmly sandwiched inbetween the two of them, " you've only just found it - it's bound to be a shock, isn't it? You've got to give yourself time. "

" I don't want time," she said, " I want Jack! " Something in her snapped and she shook her head, " if Jack's gone, then I want to be too. There's no point living if I don't have Jack - he really is my everything! If Jack's dead, I want to be dead too, never mind bringing up a new life. I can't do it. "

" Lily," Owen said, shaking his head, " that is ridiculous, you know that? "

" But it's true! " Lily said, shaking her head.

Owen and Ianto looked at each other in alarm - it was ridiculous that she'd saw that and neither of them knew what to do or what to say to make her feel better - it seemed that they wouldn't be able to make her feel better at all.

Owen shook his head and moved to stand in front of her. Ianto stepped aside and Owen grabbed hold of Lily's shoulders,

" Look at me," he said.

When she didn't obey, he demanded, " Look at me! "

" Owen," Ianto said quietly, but Owen ignored him - Owen was dead set on his goal now and was mad - he'd do whatever it took to get this back on track, even if it meant being mean to the woman he loved as a sister.

Owen held up a hand to silence Ianto and turned back to Lily, he was gripping her shoulders in his hands and gave her a little shake, " I'm not going to listen to this from you, Lily. How can you stand there and tell me that you want to die because Jack's not here? Do you have any idea how shallow that is? "

" It's got nothing to do with you! " Lily said angrily, " I don't want to live without Jack! "

Owen knew that the best way to get her sorted out was to shout some sense into her - he knew she needed a good talking to. " That is pathetic," Owen said, " yes you love him - course you do, there's no question about it, but you're not going to kill yourself because here's not here! We don't even know that he's dead! He'll still be alive - you know Jack. What would be say if he heard you talking like that? "

Lily rolled her eyes.

" No! " Owen said, shaking her again and forcing her to look at him, " I don't care how important he is to you - you can't kill yourself because he's not here! He's hardly the only thing you've got! "

" Owen," Lily sighed, " please ... I just ... I want Jack. "

Owen paused and then nodded, but he gave her a final stern look, " Listen to me - I've been trying to be nice to you, and that's not always easy for me, but you need to be told - you are some I look up to, but how can I look up to someone who wants to kill herself because of some bloke, despite having friends, family, a career, a long life ahead? Suicide is not an option here, you hear me? "

" But I don't know what to do! " Lily told him frantically, " how am I supposed to get through this? "

" You'll manage," Owen said, " and you've got your friends. You know you're pregnant now - whether you have the baby, or .. you know ... is up to you, but at least you know you are now. But right now this is what we're going to do - we're going to get a car, and a laptop, and try and find out what's going on. We're going to meet up with Tosh and Gwen, find Jack. We're going to find out who's after us, and take them down, and we're going to solve whatever's happening to all of the children. We can do this. "

Lily looked up at him, her eyes searching his and she found the reassurance that she needed. She nodded and Owen nodded too before taking a step back and gesturing for her to get up.

Lily glanced nervously at Ianto and back at Owen, and then straightened her coat. She headed to the door of toilets and as she stepped into the open air of the street, she felt the weight of the gun in her pocket.

She slipped her hand into her pocket and considered it - Owen's words had gotten through to her, but the gun was one huge reminder and she didn't know what to do.

As she slipped her hand into her pocket and her fingers closed around the handle, she considered the fact that she'd now got a real gun in her pocket - there'd been no time to grab the stun gun as she evacuated the hub, so Ianto had grabbed her a proper gun.

" Hand it over," Owen said stopping beside her and holding out her hand.

" What? " Lily asked, looking up at him with big wide eyes.

" Give it here," Owen said simply, " given your current mental state, I don't feel comfortable with you swanning around with a gun in your pocket. "

" I'm not going to shoot myself, for god's sakes," Lily said.

Owen's hand was still out and he said, " Yeah, well that's now what you were saying a minute ago is it? If you're not planning on using it, then you won't mind if I keep it safe for you, will you? "

Lily sighed and pulled the gun from her pocket and handed it to Owen, who stuffed it in his pocket, along with his own.

The three of them continued to walk down the street, dirty faced, dusty clothes and in a terrible state, Lily went on ahead, a hand pressed against her flat stomach. She didn't know what to think about it, but she decided that since she was pregnant, she'd have to deal with it for now.

She didn't think she wanted it - she and Jack were incapable of bringing up a baby, there was no way they'd know how to look after a kid. Added to the fact that Jack wasn't even around - she was certain that he was dead - and that even if he was alive, having a baby would ruin his life.

There was no way that Jack would want a baby - he loved his life, and he loved catching aliens. He couldn't do that with a baby.

While she was lost in her own repetitive thoughts, Ianto and Owen lagged behind.

" Don't you think you were a little harsh on her? " Ianto asked his friend, raising his eyebrows, but keeping his voice quiet, " you can't imagine what she's going through - she's really struggling. "

" I _know_," Owen said, " that's exactly the problem - she's struggling so much that it's not going to take much to tip her over the edge right now. We can't afford to get through without Lily - she's brilliant at all this kind of thing. If we allow her to wallow in self-pity and depression, she'll sink further and further and she'll do herself some real damage. "

Ianto raised his eyebrows, " Oh. I didn't realise - "

" That I was being hard on her for a reason? " Owen finished, " yeah, well I was. I've never seen her like this before, but I'm sure if Jack heard her acting like this, he'd talk some sense into her until she damned well listened to him. That's all we can do. We've got to keep an eye on her. "

Ianto nodded.

Lily suddenly stopped in the street - she looked at her watch. It was the early hours of the morning and was starting to get light. She turned back to Ianto and Owen, " What are we going to do? "

" We'll go to Rhiannon's," Ianto said.

" Your sister Rhiannon? " Lily asked, raising her eyebrows, " we can't go to her house, Ianto. Gwen says we're wanted terrorists now. They'll be searching for us - I'm not even registered anywhere so they won't have any family to look for of mine, and Owen's got no family to speak of, but you can bet they'll be checking up on yours. "

" Then what do we do? " Owen asked.

" We need a friend right now," Ianto told them as the three of them stopped in the middle of the road and looked around at each other hopelessly, " Rhiannon's the only one I can think of. We need a laptop to find things out and to get in touch with Gwen and Tosh - I'll bet Tosh managed to take her laptop with her when we got out of the hub. And we need a car. We need Rhiannon right now. "

Lily sighed and she and Owen exchanged a look.

Lily shrugged, " Yeah, I suppose we need someone. But you've got to know what a risk we'll be putting her at, Ianto. By the sounds of it, we're wanted criminals - she could get in trouble for seeing us. "

" I know," Ianto said, " but what else have we got? "

After a pause during which they all considered this, Lily and Owen had no alternative. After a moment's pause, Owen said, " I suppose Cate ... ? "

Ianto shook his head at his girlfriend's name and said " No chance. I'm not having her involved - my sister, but Cate ... Cate doesn't know anything about any of this. And besides, she's in Scotland - went to Edinburgh on a city break with a couple of girl friends the other day. "

" Then if there's really nothing else ... if you're sure," Lily nodded.

Ianto thought about it for a second but then nodded silently.

" We'll have to walk there," Lily said, taking control - Owen smirked to himself. It was amazing how the woman could go from being so low and almost suicidal, to taking control and being in charge. He considered that maybe all she needed was pushing, to get through it all and keep her going.

Ianto nodded and he and Owen walked forward. The three of them fell into step beside each other, striding through the town as they did so - Rhiannon lived a way out of the town, and they ended up starting towards there.

As they did so, Lily plucked her phone from her pocket.

" My dad," she said, " can't believe I didn't think about ringing him sooner. Maybe he's around - surely he'd have a better idea of what's going on. He could help - all we know is, there's a maniac trying to kill us all, and someone's possessing every child on Earth. There's no way we can have that. He ... he's got to be able to help. "

She sighed and dialled his number.

She crossed her fingers and hoped he'd answer but he didn't. She let it ring on and on and on. She wanted her dad, but she needed him - the earth needed him. He and Rose - they needed to be here! She ran several times as they walked but couldn't get through at any point.

" For god's sake! " Lily sighed, stuffing her phone back into her pocket angrily.

" Hey," Ianto said, reaching out to take her hand as a show of solidarity, " don't get yourself worked up. It's not good for the - "

" Don't say it," Lily finished, " don't you dare tell me what's good for this stupid baby. I don't even want it, I don't think. And how can I avoid getting stressed out with all of this going on? Don't you tell me that. "

" Hey," Ianto said softly, as Owen took her other hand.

Lily sighed and looked from one to the other - it was great but it wasn't what she wanted.

" I miss Jack," she said sadly, her thoughts slipping back to him once again, " I really want Jack back. "

* * *

**Author's Note: I've decided to leave Day Two there for now, because it seemed like a good place to stop. Sorry about the delay between chapters - the website was playing up, second half of Day Two should be up soon.**

I got all but one review voting for miscarriage, and since I'd like to run my story as a democracy, I think that's the way I'll be going. It's also looking unlikely that I will kill Ianto off because they need him, and he's so great.


	5. Day Two Part Two

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

Chapter Five

Lily tried to ring her dad several times as they hurried through the streets of Cardiff, but there was no answer. She was growing more and more desperate but still there was no answer, and there was nothing she could do about it.

Ianto managed to get in touch with his sister after they got to the street on which she lived and realised that it was far too dangerous to go into her house - the house was surrounding by official looking cars, and it seemed that the authorities were searching the Davies' house for Ianto.

He left his sister a message, and the three of them fled to the meeting place.

They stuck close together and as they were moving, Owen and Ianto each had hold of of one Lilys hands. Lily was struggling so much to process everything that she felt lke she could fall apart at any moment, and it wasn't helped by the fact that she couldn't get in touch with her dad. She had no Jack, no dad, only half of her team, no home, no hub, and was pregnant.

Both of her friends knew that she was a strong, independant woman, but worried that this was far too much for anyone, and decided that the best thing they could do was stick by her and help as much as possible to solve everything - both were certain that Jack would survive the blast, even if Lily wasn't.

As they walked to the park where Ianto had arranged to meet Rhiannon, Lily's phone rang.

Ianto frowned as he looked at her, " I thought you _knew _that that thing might be bugged. You really shouldn't use it. "

" What other option is there? " Lily said, " as long as I don't tell Tosh and Gwen where we're going to meet them or give any important details, then it should be alright - it's the only way I've got to keeping in touch with my dad. Or trying to, at least. "

Ianto let go of her so she could reach into her pocket, and Lily didn't even look at the screen before answering the phone - she was certain that no-one could trace her signal, and she answered with a quiet, nervous,

" Hello? "

" Lily! It's Jackie! " came the loud voice on the other end.

Lily sighed - she really didn't feel like dealing with this right now, but she mumbled, " Hey - what can I do for you? "

" I was checking up on you! " Jackie said, actually sounding relieved, " it's all over the news - big explosion all across Cardiff Bay. Could be felt from miles away! I know you lot are based _somewhere_ around the bay. "

" You're ... checking up on me? " Lily asked, suprised.

" Course! " Jackie said, " I know I didn't always like you, but we've all grown to like each other, haven't we? Don't have much of a choice with Rose and your bleeding dad ... so you're all alright then? And have you got in touch with your dad? i've tried our Rose, but she's not picking up - I thought they should know about all of this - everyone's saying it's mass hysteria or something, but it's them, isn't it? The aliens. "

Lily frowned - like her dad, she always found Jackie Tyler - Rose's mother - too much to cope with , " Sorry, hang on ... you're checking up on me? "

" Yes! " Jackie said, exasperatedly, " the whole alien thing seems to have bonded us all together - I'm going to have your bleeding nuisance of a father, as a son-in-law one day, I hope you realise. "

" I'd really rather not think about it," Lily winced.

Jackie sighed, " Pete said I shouldn't ring you, but I said "no, I've got to find out." But you're all alright? "

Lily sighed as she struggled to answer the question, and she shook her head, " As it happens, I'm not. Jack got blown up in the explosion on the bay and now he's dead, for good. Two of my friends have gone missing, me and the other two are on the run from someone who's trying to kill all members of Torchwood and I'm totally ... I'm so stressed out, I don't know what to do. "

" Oh Lily," Jackie said, " I'm so sorry - "

Lily cut her off, " I can't ... I can't here it, Jackie. I can't even think about it right now - I just ... " she sighed, " how's Tony? "

Jackie nodded and said, " Here's alright. He won't be going to nursery today, but you said you thought the little kids were alright? it's just ... it's not toddlers. "

" Not as far as we can tell," Lily said, thinking about it, " if he's not spoken yet, then I don't think he's going to - I think he'll be alright. He kid can barely string a couple of words together, after all, never mind ... well ... "

Jackie paused and then said, " Right well I'll ... I'll let you get back to it. You must be busy and - well, I'll leave you to it. "

Lily didn't say goodbye and as she hung up, she sighed and threw her phone back into her pocket. She couldn't be bothered talking to anyone, especially about the ins and outs of what had happened.

They walked to the park where they were to meet Rhiannon, and Ianto strode on ahead, while Owne and Lily walked behind him. Owen had his arm out and Lily's hand was slid through his arm, leaning against him as they walked.

" You must be worried about Tosh," Lily said, looking up at him.

Owen's face had been straight until then, but then turned into a frown. He took a moment to think about it and then the worry across his face was very evident, " Course I am," he said, " but at least I know she's alright - she's with Gwen. Tosh is strong - she'll be alright. "

Lily smiled a little " Yeah, she will. "

Owen sighed heavily, " I wish she was here though. And d'you know what the worst thing is? I've been thinking for a couple of weeks, that I love her, but I haven't told her. I should have told her. "

Lily looked at him and shook her head, " You'll have time to tell her. "

Owen nodded, " I'm going to tell her, the very next time I see her. "

Lily smiled and as Ianto sat down on a bench across from his sister, she and Owen stopped behind him.

It was noon now.

It was hard to believe that they'd spent so much time messing around in Cardiff and walking out to Rhiannon's place, dropping her a note and waiting in the park until she could get away.

Ianto slid across, and Lily and Owen sat down beside him, opposite Rhiannon, who looked at the three of them in shock.

" You ... you got my message then," Ianto said.

Rhiannon nodded. Lily looked this way and that nervously, while Rhiannon stared at her brother, 2 Jesus Christ, Yan! What the hell's happened to you? To the lot of you? "

" We don't know yet," Ianto said, shaking his head and eyeing the laptop that his sister had put down on the picnic table inbetween them.

" I wasn't followed," Rhiannon said, telling it to all three of them, " you can relax a little. Now seriously, how did you get in that state? I heard about an explosion on the bay? Were you there? "

" That bomb," Ianto said, " it was meant for me, these two, and the other people I work with. "

" My God! Why? " Rhiannon demanded, while Ianto, Lily and Owen sat in front of her, not sure what was going on themselves, or what she should do.

" We don't know," Ianto shrugged.

" What sort of civil servants _are _you? " Rhiannon aked, shaking her head, shocked.

" Unappreciated ones," Owen grumbled.

" Are they ok? " Rhiannon asked, " the other people that you work with? "

Lily shuddered and Owen draped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer in comfort. Rhiannon noticed her reaction and looked at Ianto.

Ianto answered, " We're not sure. Gwen and Tosh are OK but there's no way of contacting them without it possibly being traced. We're not sure about Jack. "

Lily sighed and blinked away a couple of tears.

" Jack's her husand," Ianto added quickly by way of explanation as Rhiannon glanced at Lily, " but he'll be OK. They won't get rid of him that easily. We just need to find him. "

Lily sighed and looked around the park - she wasn't convinced by Owen and Ianto's optimism but supposed she had to cling to it - there was nothing else she could do.

As she got distracted from the conversation and looked around, she saw all of the children in park suddenly stop still. Her eyes widened and she looked around this way and that and saw all o them stood still, just staring off into space.

Lily stood up slowly, and this caused the others to take notice. Owen and Ianto both stood up and the three of them stood there waiting to see what was happening.

Lily took a step forwards and stopped in her tracks to wait and see what the kids were doing.

" We are coming tomorrow. "

Lily turned to stare at Ianto and Owen, who were lookng back at her in the exact same way - panic and confusion. Lily looked around again and kids continued to chant " We are coming tomorrow. We are coming tomorrow. "

" Tomorrow," Lily mumbled to herself, " Tomorrow. Tomorrow? "

The kids continued to chant, and around her, she didn't know know quite what to do. She moved forwards and stopped in front of one of the children. She looked up at the worried mother of the child and said,

" Don't worry, I'm with the police - I'm a detective," she lied easily, before looking at the child. She stared into the child's eyes as all of the children continued to chant "We are coming tomorrow. "

Owen came and knelt beside her and Lily could only think about the kids - all of the chlidren in the world being possessed and having to go through this. She didn't know how they could solve it, but she knew tomorrow was going to be a huge deal - tomorrow they were going to have to deal with it all.

Lily got up and hurried over to Ianto, who was standing with his sister.

" Ianto! We've got to do something! " Lily said frantically, a hand coming to rest on her stomach as she thought about her own child - how could she possibly bring a baby into a world like this?

Ianto quickly told Rhiannon, " This has got something to do with the explosion - we're being targeted. This is what we were working on when our base was blown up. "

Rhiannon's phone rang, and as it did, the kids all stopped chating. Ianto approached the nearest child and said, " Hello, excuse me, what did it feel like just then? "

The child just looked at him with a frown and back at his mother, scared. The child's mother glae at Ianto and pulled her kid away, " Piss off you perv! " she said, shaking her head.

Lily grabbed Ianto's sleeve and pulled him away, " You'll get yourself punched," she said,shaking her head, " they don't understand who we are or what we're trying to do. We've got to keep moving. "

" What's going on? " Rhiannon asked, closing her phone and coming over to her brother, " what is it? It's just happened to David and Mica too. "

Ianto looked at her quickly and said, " I don't know, but this is what we do. We deal with things like this "

" So deal with it," Rhiannon said urgently, " make it stop, Ianto! Please! "

Ianto sighed - having one emotional woman to deal with was difficult enough as if was, never mind anything else. " We need to find Jack," he said, looking at Owen and Lily and back at his sister. He picked up the laptop as he muttered, " give me that. "

" How will this help? " Rhiannon asked.

" I've got the number of a van that was hanging around straight after the explosion - tried to take Gwen and Tosh away - you can trace anything with the right computer programmes," he replied.

" When did he find out that? " Lily asked, frowning a she looked at Owen.

Owne shook his head as if he'd only just realised that she didn't know," Gwen rang again while you were ... you know ... taking the tests. Forgot to tell you, with everything else that was going on. "

" Good," Ianto said, " now give me the car keys. "

Rhiannon stared at him, " Oh, Jonny'll go mad! "

" Please! " Ianto pleaded, " we don't have any time to spare! "

Rhiannon Davies sighed and tossed her car keys at her brother, and Ianto jogged off, with the laptop under one arm. It didn't take long for Owen and Lily to follow, and the three of them jogged off to the car, where Ianto looked back at his sister.

" I'm sorry! " he shouted, as he opened the passenger door for Lily - ever the gentleman.

With that, they all climbed into the car, and Ianto screeched off at top speed, while Lily reached for her seatbelt, sighing and praying for what must be the millionth time so far, that Jack was there.

Owen was sat in the back of the car, and as they sped away, Ianto passed the laptop back to him.

" Turn it on," he told Owen, " we need to look up the vehicle that Gwen reckons was hanging around - reckons they might have took Jack away in. If we can find out what the vehicle is - where it's going, we can find out who it belongs to, and we can figure out where it's going. "

Lily sighed and leant her head back against the headrest. She closed her eyes and frowned - she felt so tired and it was ridiculous.

Time Lords could usually go a long time without sleep and she could usually survive on a couple of hours - if that - but today she was feeling exhausted. Of all the days to be tired, today was not a good day, and she didn't know what to do. She opened her eyes and tried to keep them focused on the road, but found herself desperately wanting to close them again - it was tkaing a great deal of force to stay awake.

" I'm getting something," Owen said, " I can get the programme running - what was the registration number? "

Ianto told Owen the registration number that Gwen had told him, and Owen nodded and typed it in. Lily tried to keep focused on the road, and Ianto looked at her - he frowned when he was how obviously tired she was.

" Lily," he said, driving without looking at the road, " you ... you don't look so good. "

" Thanks," Lily mumbled, a smile tugging at the corner of her lips.

Ianto rolled his eyes, " You know what I mean. In fact, you look knackered - maybe you should catch a couple of hours of sleep? "

" What? " Lily demanded, looking at him, " are you joking? We're in the middle of a crisis here - there's really no time to go to sleep. I'm not even tired. "

Ianto simply raised his eyebrows.

Lily folded her arms sulkily, " I'm not! " she said defensively, " I don't get tired easily. I had a good few hours the other night - that should keep me going for a couple of days! " She sighed, " how can I possibly get any sleep with all this going on? "

" Lily, you're knackered," Ianto said, " and no-one blames you. We've been through an exhausting 24 hours and the added stress of the baby - "

" No," Lily said, holding up her hand, " I don't want to talk about it. "

Ianto sighed, and Owen interrupted, " Um ... guys? As much as I care about Lily's wellbeing, we need to get to the situation at hand, don't we? "

" Have you found something? " Lily asked, looking over her shoulder and him and willing herself to look at him and stay awake - stay focused.

Owen pressed a few buttons and said, " The vehicle was a government license van, specially linked to military compund Ashton Down. "

" Ashton Down? " Ianto asked, " Isn't that in London? "

Lily sighed - London. That was all they needed - they were in Cardiff, and it would take them a few hours to get there. Yet, as soon as she heard the name of that military compound, she had a feeling about it - it was an overwhelming instinct which she couldn't explain. Her instincts were often spot on.

Owen looked between the pair of them as Ianto continued to drive, " Yeah, London," he confirmed, " apparently it's often used for imprisoning major threats to the government until something can be done with them. "

" Jack's there," Lily said, " he's there. "

" Hold on," Owen said, " we don't know that - "

" Yeah, but I ... I can't explain it," Lily said, shaking her head as she came to life, trying to explain it all, " I don't know how to put it into words, but I really ... I just feel like he's there. "

Ianto looked from Lily to Owen and shrugged, " It's all we've got. Let's go to London. We'll try Ashton Down, we'll figure something out, get our way in, and spring Jack free if he's there. "

" Spring him free? " Lily echoed, " but what if he's ... he's ... "

" He's not dead, Lily, " Ianto said, " you know Jack - he can survive anything. He won't be dead. He's the man who can't die, isn't he? We'll get him back. Let's just get to London - we'll figure it out from there. "

Lily nodded as Ianto's jaw set in determination as he started towards the signs for London. She was certain this was where Jack would be - she even found a little bit of optimism growing up inside her.

" What if - " she started, only for Ianto to cut her off.

" Don't," he said, " all we can do it follow our lead - you've got strong instincts, and they're usually right, and if the vehicle leads to Ashton Down, then there's something going on whether Jack's there or not. And besides, London's the best place we could be - all the big people are based in London, and all the decisions are made there."

Lily nodded and thought about it all - she started to think about the possibility that Jack could still be alive, she smiled and fantasised about Jack running across to her, pulling her into his arms and kissing her passionately, and hugging him to her and never letting go. Then she remembered the baby - she couldn't tell him. Not now - they were so busy, and he'd be furious. What the hell could they do with a baby while working in alien catching?

She sighed and once again pulled the phone out of her pocket.

She flipped it open and bit her lip before dialling the number she'd already dialled about twenty times that day. She held the phone to her ear but there was no response.

She bit down on her thumbnail as she listened to the ringing, and waited for him to pick up - her dad was surely the most qualified person to deal with all of this, but he wasn't even there. She tried him three times in a row before lowering her phone and shaking her head.

It was no use.

" How long will it take to get to London, Ianto? " Lily asked.

" About three hours," he said.

Lily nodded and bit her lip nervously. She looked at him, then over her shoulder at Owen and back again. " I suppose ... if all we're doing is sitting in the car ... there's really not much I can do, is there? "

" Stop trying to justify it to us," Ianto said, smiling a little, " get some sleep - you look like you could use it. If we need you, we'll wake you up. "

Lily felt bad for just going to sleep in this situation, but she was exhausted and could barely keep her eyes open. In fact, she felt like some kind of traitor for just wanting to sleep, but knew there was nothing else that she could do.

When she woke up almost three hours later, they were pulling up in a car park, and the stopping of the car had jerked her awake.

" London," Ianto said proudly as they stepped out of the car, " I believe it's not far from here to Ashford Down. If we just spend a couple of minutes hanging around here, get the sat-nav going, then we can get there. "

" Hold on," Lily said, sitting up and rubbing her neck, " we can't just go storming into a military compound and take back Jack - if he's even there. If he's even alive! We have to think about it! "

" Ok, ok," Ianto said, holding up his hand to calm her down, " it's ok, we'll make a plan. " He could tell how worked up she was getting, thinking about everything that was going on.

" I think we should ring the home office," Owen said.

" The Home Office? " Ianto asked, as the three of them sat in the car.

" Yeah," Owen nodded, " I know they're usually a bunch of idiots, but since they seem to be the ones controlling things, we should really find out what they know. "

" I suppose we should," Lily nodded.

She took out her phone and flipped it open - she decided that she should be the one to make the call and she dialled the number that Ianto found for her.

She knew the Home Office knew about Torchwood, and she'd thought they could help the Home Office with the whole situation. But she needed to know about what was going on - the only problem was, they now knew a government-military vehicle had been hanging around just after the explosion, and suspected that Jack had been taken away in it.

A female voice answered the phone, " Hello, John Frobsher's office. "

" Hello," Lily said, determined to be strong and find out what was going on - she thought of Jack. Jack always knew what to do: she had to be strong and brave for Jack, " could I speak to Mr Frobisher, please? "

" I'm sorry, he's not taking any calls right now," the woman said, " but I can take a message if you'd like? "

" Ok," Lily said calmly, " you can tell him that this is Lily Harkness, Torchwood, and I'd like to speak to him. It's urgent. "

" Torchwood? " the woman asked, the volume of her voice dropping, " wow, you people are all over the place. "

" W-what? " Lily asked, confused, " who is this? "

" Lois Habiba, Mr Frobisher's new secretary," the woman said, still talking quietly, " You said you're ... Lily Harkness? "

" Yes," Lily said, " and I really need to speak to Mr Frobisher, so if you could just - "

" I don't think that's a good idea," Lois said.

" You ... you what? " Lily asked, confused, biting down her on lower lip.

" Look," Lois said quietly, " I've just met up with your collegues and had a discussion with them and - "

" You met Gwen and Tosh? " Lily asked quickly, " how are they? What's going on? Hang on, why did you meet them? "

" We can't do this over the phone," Lois said.

Lily frowned, " Look, I don't know what's going on here, but someone is trying to wipe out me, my husband and my friends. Oh, and someone's possessing every child on Earth, so I could really use a little help. Whatever you've told Gwen and Tosh ... I need to know. "

" We can't do it over the phone," Lois said, " I ... " her voice lowered to almost a whisper, " I suppose we could meet up. I take it you're in London? "

" Yes," Lily said quickly, " we're ... not far from the Home Secretary's office, actually. "

" Good," Lois said, " listen, I'm putting my job on the line here, but after meeting your collegues, I can see that someone's got it in for you, and I know who, and I understand that you can't get in touch with your collegues. There's a Starbuck's around the corner from the office. I'll be there in ten minutes. "

Lily hung up the phone, and Owen looked at her, arms folded.

" Please tell me you didn't just agree to meet up with someone," he sighed, " what if it's a trap? "

" No," Lily said, before telling Ianto, " start the car, apparently there's a Starbucks around the corner from the Home Secretary's office. Find it. " To Owen, she added, " that was Frobisher's new personal assistant. She says she met up with Gwen, Rhys and Tosh earlier. We need to know where they are and what she's told them. "

Ianto smiled a little, " Should have known they'd come to London too - it is the capital, after all. All the decisions made here. "

Lily nodded - she found it difficult to believe that someone in Frobisher's office wanted to help them, but was doing it secretly - this meant that Frobisher had to be involved in something serious, and they needed to find out exactly what was going on. Lily was started to suspect that Frobisher played some kind of sinister role in all of this - surely he'd have met them hisself if he wasn't after them?

She frowned and let everything play out in her mind - there was only one conclusion. They needed to meet Lois Habiba and find out exactly what was going on. Lois would probably know a lot about the goings-on in the office, and lily needed to know exactly where the rest of the team wer,e and what Lois had told them.

Ianto pulled up across the road from the coffee shop, and came around to open the passenger door for her. Lily was grateful but frowned a little too,

" Thanks sweetie," she said, climbing out of the car, " but I'm not an invalid, you know. "

Ianto's eyes flickered down to her stomach, but he nodded respectfully, and the three of them crossed over the road and entered the coffee shop. Lily was behind Owen and in front of Ianto and kept her fingers firmly crossed that they were going to find out some useful information and fix everything.

Lily looked around and her eyes settled on a young woman with coffee coloured skin and curly blonde-brown hair. She was smartly dressed and was the only woman sitting alone.

Lily slid around Ianto and approached the woman,

" Lois Habiba? " she asked.

Lois Habiba looked up from her coffee. She'd read up the files on the computer about Torchwood - there'd been pictures of Ianto Jones and Owen Harper, but no picture of Lily Harkness.

There was barely even a record of her. All that the government file had on her was the fact that she was known to be in a relationship with Jack Harkness, and had first surfaced at Torchwood around 18 months ago.

It didn't listen her as married to Harkness, and gave no surname at all for her. They didn't even know her full name, or where she was from. There was no record of her abilities or known expertise in any particular field, and it seemed that she was a mystery.

Lois looked at the three people in front of her. She hadn't known what to expect of Lily, but she hadn't expected this. The woman stood in front of her was dirty faced, and looked exhausted - she wore pretty clothes, had a curvy femnine figure and flowing vivid red hair. Lois immediately noticed the wedding ring on her finger. She looked at Jones and Harper and found them looked equally dirty, tired and bashed about.

Lois nodded, " Lily Harkness? " she asked.

Lily nodded and took a seat opposite Lois. Ianto and Owen sat on either side of her like bodyguards and Lily smiled at Lois, putting on a brave face and gesturing to the men on either side of her, " Thanks for meeting with us. This is Ianto Jones, and Dr Owen Harper. "

Lois nodded at them and as a waitress took their order and came back with coffee and cakes for them a moment later.

Once the four of them were settled down, Lily said, " Lois, I appreciate that you shouldn't be meeting with us. I know you'd get into trouble for this, but I really need to know what's going on here. You say you've met with my collegues? "

Lois didn't hesitate to tell Lily and the boys what was going on - she'd already comitted treason by telling the other Torchwood members what was going on, so she might as well go the whole hog and tell the others. Lois also noted with interest that Lily Harkness was Welsh.

Lois nodded, " Gwen Williams rang up, just as you did, to speak to Frobisher. I've found out some things about Frobisher that I don't like - I felt it was my duty to tell Williams what she was up against. You've got to understand, I didn't take this job to commit treason on my first day, but I didn't take it to cover up murder either. "

" Murder? " Lily asked, swallowing hard, before taking a breath, " you mean, Jack's murder? "

Lois paused and then said, " He's your husband, right? "

Lily nodded but couldn't find any words. Instead, she bit down on her lip nervously and glanced away, before glancing back at Lois. She was determined not to let it get the better of her, but couldn't help herself.

Lois felt sorry for the woman in front of her and said, " I don't think Harkness is dead. "

Lily let out a shaky sigh of relief and both Owen and Ianto looked relieved.

" See? " Ianto said, as Owen reached out to touch her arm reassuringly, " didn't we tell you? "

Lily smiled in disbelief as she laid her hand over Owen's grateful and smiled at Ianto. She didn't know what to do next and she took a moment to compose herself before asking Lois, " You don't? Really? "

Lois nodded, looking into Lily's colourful green eyes, " I heard Frobisher telling someone on the phone to "keep an eye on him." You don't keep an eye on a corpse, do you? From what I've heard, he's got certain ... lazarus qualities. From the sounds of it, he's still alive. "

" Oh thank God," Lily whispered in immense relief, touching her wedding ring lightly, " thank you. Thank you. "

Lois nodded and continued, " The odd thing is, I've been looking into the explosion in Cardiff, and I found ... well, a hit list. I told your collegues about this. Frobisher issued hits on Jack Harkness, and three others - all were killed yesterday, with the exception of Harkness, who seems a dificult man to get rid of. "

" Frobisher gave the command? " Owen asked, leaning forwards, " why? "

" I don't know," Lois said, " your collegues knew of no link between Harkness and the other three on the list. I was hoping you'd know why. "

Lily shook her head, " No but we'll figure it out. All that matters now is getting to Jack - and at least we know we can't trust Frobisher now. We'll figure out the reasons why later - we just need to get everyone back together. What did you tell Gwen and Tosh? "

Lois nodded and continued, " I told them about the hit Frobisher took out, and I told them that Jack Harkness is being held at the military compound of Ashton Down. "

" Ashton Down? " Ianto repeated, " we knew it. And this is what you told Gwen and Tosh? Is this where they've gone? "

Lois smiled a little, " I got them a way in. Your three collegues have intercepted a funeral hearse and are currenly on their way to Ashton Down. Once they're there, they will pose as undertakers to get in. From there, they're on their own. "

" You ... you got them a way in? " Lily asked, shocked, " to a top secret military compound? "

Lois shrugged, " It's my job - I'm a PA. "

" You're amazing," Lily said, shaking her head, stunned, " you're ... you're actually amazing. Thank you so much. Oh, you've been so helpful, thank you Lois, thank you. " She was all ready to get up and go away, head for Ashton Down right that moment, and she stood up.

" Hold it sweetheart," Owen drawled, slightly amused by her enthusiasm, reaching out and pulling her back into her seat, " don't you think we need a way in before we go charging in there? "

" Oh," Lily said - all she'd wanted to do was run and fetch Jack.

Lois looked between the three of them and said, " I think I might have done it for you. You see, there's a building site just on the hill overlooked Ashton Down - I did a little digging, and it turns out that there's some machinery there that might be of use to you. "

She reached into her bag and handed out a piece of paper, which Ianto took.

" Directions from here to Ashton Down," she said, " as I say, the construction site overlooks the imiltary compound but isn't in the ground, so you won't have to pass any security. I probably shouldn't encourage this kind of behaviour but ... you could always ... oh, I don't kow, steal a forklift truck and ram into the building to save Harkness. "

Lily stared at her, " That," she said, a smile slowly spreading across her face, " is an amazing idea. Thanks a lot, really, thank you. "

Lois shrugged, " Not that I'm condoning anything," she said, " but ... "

" Yeah," Owen finished, " we're Torchwood, and we're on the run - we're being treat like criminals, so we might as well act like them, right? "

Lois shrugged again.

Ianto thanked Lois and stood up and Owen followed his lead. Lily was the last to stand up and she looked back at Lois, thanking her a final time, before following Owen and Ianto out of the room.

As she got into the car, Lily's head was spinning, and she was beginning to realise that this was turning out to be the most difficult case of her life - there was no way that she could deal with everything that was going on and she was overwhelmed by everything.

The only thing she could focus on right now was Jack, and getting him back. She now had the confidence that he was alive, and coupled with the fact that Gwen, Tosh and Rhys were on their way to save him, and she, Ianto and Owen were on their way to back them up, she had great optimism that she'd get through this - she'd get Jack back.

She was mostly silent as they drove to the compound, and Ianto ditched the car five minutes away from the building site. Ianto once again opened the passenger door for her, and after Lily got out of the car, she closed the door after her, and leant back against the car door.

" Come on then," Owen said, turning back to face her, as did Owen, " don't you want to go save your beloved Jack? "

" Course I do," Lily said, though she still didn't budge.

" Come on then," Owen repeated, shaking his head, though he was smiling a little.

Lily pushed herself off the car and took a few steps forward but before she went any furhter, she stopped again, " Owen, Ianto? " she asked, " I really need you to do something for me. "

" Yes? " Ianto asked, raising his eyebrows, not sure where this was going, but willing to help her because she was a very good friend and a vital part of the team.

" Don't tell Jack," she said, " about the baby, I mean. "

" Oh, Lily," Ianto sighed in exasperation, " I know you're scared but you can't keep it a secret. You've really got to tell him about it, Lily. "

" No, I mean it," Lily said, holding up her hands, " no mention of it, no refernece to it, no uneccessary fussing over me in front of him, no remarks like, oh I don't know - "you shouldn't be doing that in your condition" or "here, you shouldn't be carrying that." None of it. I'll tell him after all of this is over - it's the last thing we need with all the kids being possessed. We need to deal with this first. I'll tell him straight after. "

" Come on," Owen repeated, " we're not going to say anything. "

Lily nodded and followed after Ianto and Owen. They hurried across a rocky quarry and saw a forklift truck. They each exchanged looks - it would be perfect for causing a distraction.

They'd already seen a black hearse pulled up outside the compound, so they knew Gwen, Toshiko and Rhys were inside. All they needed to do was use the forklift to cause a crash - take out some of the building, cause a big enough distraction to help their collegues get out, and help Jack get out.

There were two men standing nearby the forklife truck, but they were a couple of middle aged fat men, eating biscuits and apparently having a break. The only weapons Lily, Ianto and Owen had between them were three guns, which were uneccessary at this point.

Instead, they all exchanged looks, and a silent plan was agreed.

Lily started forwards and pretended to be lost, flirting with the two men in a ridiculous over the top fashion, so that when Owen and Ianto came up behind them, they were completely distracted. Owen and Ianto managed to knock them out, and Lily winced but nodded at them in satisfaction.

" Nice work," she said, as Ianto set about stripping the two men of their high-visibility jackets and hard hats and taking one set for his own, putting the hard hat on his head.

Ianto jumped up into the forklift truck, and Lily grinned, going after him.

" Here, hard hat," Owen said, putting it onto her head as she shifted over to let him into the truck. She laughed and pulled the hat onto her head and she, Ianto and Owen huddled together in the small space they had.

Lily looked at the military compound - this whole thing was ridiculous, but she was so happy - soon, they'd be back with Jack, Gwen and Tosh. And Rhys would be there too. But she'd have Jack. She was terrified about her pregnancy but it had slipped out of her mind in the wake of getting Jack back - it was all she wanted.

Jack was always the most important thing to her, and she couldn't wait to be reunited with him - she'd been (and still was to an extent) terrified that Jack was dead. She lived in constant fear that Jack would one day die and not come back to life, but she never thought it would happen. She loved Jack and after living in Cardiff with him for 18 months, and being married to him, knew she'd be lost without him.

" How does this thing work? " Owen asked, as Ianto put his foot down on the pedal.

" It can't be too hard," Lily shrugged, telling Ianto - who was driving - " here, pull that, put your foot down a bit. Yeah, that's it - go! "

As Ianto started up the forklift and managed to get it going, he moved it closer to the compound. Lily's hearts hammered against her chest at a thousand beats per minute as they moved, and she was almost breathless as she watched Ianto pull a lever.

There was an almighty crash, and the forklift truck had just nicked the corner of the uilding and caused plenty of rubble to fall down.

Ianto had managed to cause a big enough chaos, and Lily laughed in delight as she saw Gwen, Rhys and Tosh emerging from the rubble and running towards them. Lily laughed and leaned over to kiss Ianto's cheek for a long moment,

" Oh, that was amazing! " she laughed, as Owen shouted at their other collegues, " Come on! Get on! "

Tosh jumped onto the truck and Owen pulled her onto his lap, securing his arms around her waist tightly, while Gwen and Rhys jumped onto the truck too. There was nowhere to sit but they stood on the edge, clinging on.

Gwen's gun was out and ready to fire.

Lily smiled a little as Owen kissed Tosh's cheek tenderly and told her how worried he'd been about her, but all she really wanted was Jack - everyone was here except Jack. That was actually quite worrying - where was Jack?

" Tosh," Lily said urgently, " where's Jack? Where is he? "

Tosh pointed quickly at a big block on concrete which was now exposed by the rubble, " Ianto! " she shouted, " pick that concrete up - Jack's encased 's in there! "

Ianto did as Tosh told him, and Lily stared - her husband was trapped inside a big block of concrete? Was that supposed to be some kind of joke - it seemed unbelieveable and she started to panick as she thought of the danger he was in.

Ianto started riding the truck away while soldiers from the compound, led by a tall dark haired woman, started firing at them. Gwen shot back as good as they got, but Ianto's skillful steering meant that the soldiers couldn't reach them at any rate.

Ianto continued driving away in a strange high speed get away, and he drove them around and over to a quarry, until the forklift truck was balanced on top of a steep hill.

" What are we doing? " Gwen asked, as Ianto pressed some buttons and pulled a lever.

" You'll see," Ianto said, " now - everyone get out! Get into the car - it's just over there, see? Get into the car and drive it around to here! "

Everyone did as Ianto told them, except Lily, who stayed by his side. Ianto didn't react to this - he hadn't expected Lily to follow his orders - she didn't obey anyone's orders.

Lily watched him carefully and knew exactly what he was doing - she inwardly praised whatever God was listening that he was so amazing and helpful, and she looked over her shoulder to see the big concrete block which contained Jack.

She thought about seeing Jack - when she'd left him, he'd told her how much he loved her, and the last thing he'd done was ensure her own safety by forcing her out of the hub. They'd both thought they'd never see each other again.

" This had better work," Lily mumbled, as the big block was extended further and further away from the truck. It moved further and further, and before Ianto pulled a last lever, he looked at Lily,

" Ok," he said, " when this goes down, we need to get out, agreed? "

Lily nodded - her instinct was to follow wherever jack went, and she knew that was what she was going to do. Ianot pulled a lever and there was an almighty crash as the concrete block fall a long way off and tumbled all the way down the quarry, tossing and turning and falling a long way.

The car pulled up beside the forklift truck.

Rhys was driving, Gwen in the passenger seat, Tosh and Owen in the back.

Ianto jumped out of the forklift truck and got into the car, and Lily took a deep breath before also leaping out of the forklift. She staggered but landed on her feet after grabbing hold of the truck and straightening herself up.

At the bottom of the quarry - made up of mainly dust and rubble - the concrete broke with an almighty crack. Lily didn't get in the car, instead she started running down the quarry, not thinking about anything else. Jack, that was all that mattered, and she needed to get to him.

Those in the car realised she wasn't going to budge, and the car sped off to the bottom of the quarry to meet Jack.

Lily took a breath and coughed and spluttered through the dust as she hurried down the quarry. She felt like she was about to slid and all down the steep hill at any moment but she kept going, treading carefully and running with ease, so she didn't fall over.

She raced to the bottom of the quarry and looked at the masses of cracked concrete and rubble and could only see the clouds of dust surrounding everything.

Her hearts still pumped faster and faster and faster and she took big deep breaths, feeling like she was going to explode from the sheer nerves and fear of what was going to happen from it all.

As she came to a stop, she put her hands on her hips and looked around frantically.

The car containing the team pulled to a screeching stop at the bottom of the quarry, at the other side of the rubble from where Lily was standing.

She couldn't see Jack, and this panicked her. She looked around and saw only dust and rubble - she took a few steps forward but coughed and spluttered and stood back, waiting to see if he'd emerge. She'd never been more nervous about anything.

Jack was her life. If she didn't have Jack, she didn't now how she'd cope.

Something suddenly caught her eye and her hearts hammered so hard she was almost certain that there'd be too big heart shaped holes in her rib cage soon - she felt like her hearts were going to burst straight through her rib cage.

A figure staggered through the dust and even before she could see him properly, she screamed and waved her arms,

" Jack! Jack, I'm here! Jack! "

" Lily! " his voice came, though she couldn't yet see him.

She breathed such a sigh of relief that she felt like she was about to fall to the ground - like there was no air left in her at all. Jack was alive.

She was so relieved, and tears of joy sprang up in her eyes and she looked at him. So far he was a figure in the dust and she watched as he emerged from the dust. He looked terrible, and he was a mess, but it didn't matter - she didn't care how he looked, he was just there. She had Jack.

He staggered towards her, his face grimy and dirty, scratches on his body, and his hair full of dirt and dust. And he was naked.

Lily grinned as he staggered towards her, and she moved forwards slowly, though felt like her feet were glued to the floor. She managed a few steps, and she was grinning, but her eyes filled with tears.

She was so immensely relieved and thrilled to know that her husband was alive, that she didn't even take in the fact that he was naked. Usually, she wouldn't hesitate to wrap her arms around her naked husband and run her hands across her glorious body, but this time, she just wanted him - him in general. She wanted his face, his eyes, his words, his love.

He stopped just in front of her, and they looked at each other for a moment, before the tears started to fall - the silent tears trickled down her cheeks despite her wide smile

" Jack," she whispered, reaching out and laying her hand on his definied, muscular chest as she looked up at him, " you're alright. You're here - you're ... Jack, you're alright! "

" I told you I'd be back," Jack said simply, grinning his most charming grin at her.

" Oh God Jack," she sighed, reaching out with one hand and resting it on the back of his head, pulling him in for a kiss. It was a slow, careful kiss, and Jack's hands were both on her face for the duration of it. It was sweet and lingering, and the pair of them savoured every little moment of it.

When they broke apart, Jack kept his hands on her face and their foreheads were leant together as they stood close together, Lily sighed heavily and closed her eyes, letting out a long, deep sigh.

" Baby," Jack breathed, " didn't I promise you I'd come back? I'll always be here - I promise, I am always going to be here. You won't ever be able to get rid of me. "

" Good," Lily said, opening her eyes and looking at him, " I really thought you were dead. thought I'd never see you again. I ... " she broke off as more tears threatened to spill and Jack laughed lightly as he pulled back from her a little and wiped away the tears with his thumb. He kissed her forehead gently and said,

" Don't you ever think like that. I'll always be here, always, always, always, you hear me? "

Lily nodded helplessly and Jack smiled.

It was difficult to see her so worked up and imagine the pain she'd gone through thinking he was dead, and he leaned in and planted another kiss on her lips, as she clung to his shoulders.

" Oi! " Owen shouted, " what about the rest of us? "

Jack turned around to face them, and the team, who had all gotten out of the car, raised their eyebrows at his naked form, while Lily could only laugh a little. Jack was an impressive sight clothed, and even more impressive naked, despite their serious situation.

" Good to see you all," Jack called.

Gwen walked over first, clutching Rhys's long jacket and was taking care not to look in Jack's direction. She tossed the jacket at him and said, " Come on, put that on. "

Jack smirked as he took the jacket from her and he deliberately put it on as slowly as possible.

" So, what's been gong on? " he asked urgently, while reaching out for Lily without looking and taking hold of her hand. She smiled and edged closer to him - he was always a comfort to her, and she liked to have him nearby. His precense was always a massive calming effect to her and he always knew what to do and what to say to her.

" We're not entirely sure yet," Gwen said, " but the latest from the kids, is that it's happening tomorrow. "

" I'm just in time then, aren't I? " Jack smirked, his usual cocky self.

" Come on," Ianto called from the car, " we don't have all day. We've got work to do. "

Lily started to the car and Jack followed her. They knew what they had to do, and unfortunately it involved lots and lots of hard work, and very little standing around and doing nothing. It was late and night was falling, but they still had a long day ahead of them.


	6. Day Three Part One

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

Chapter Six

As they all gathered around the car - Rhys and Gwen's car, as they'd left Ianto's brother-in-law's car at the other side of the military compound - Gwen popped open the boot.

" Might be some spare clothes for you in there," she said, digging around and pulling out a pair of baggy grey jogging bottoms and a plain blue t-shirt.

Jack pulled a face but thanked her and everyone else got into the car, while Jack got changed into the spare clothes. Lily stood leaning up against the car as she watched him but her eyes were fixed solely on his face.

She considered the baby - this was not the time to tell him that she was 6 weeks pregnant, but she knew she'd have to tell him soon. She knew she could start showing as early as six weeks away and the sickness would come at any day.

Yet, she was terrified. Jack wasn't the type to raise kids and she knew how much he loved running around and saving the world from aliens. Having a child would completely ruin that for him and she didn't want to be the one to ruin his life - she wouldn't let herself be. She was terrified of how he'd react and felt sure that he wouldn't want it, and she wasn't sure how she felt either - it was still a baby, but she wanted Jack more than she wanted the baby.

Then their was the Master. That man had spent three months raping her to try and get her pregnant and had failed - she assumed there was something wrong with her and she couldn't actually get pregnant. To think about being pregnant brought back the memories of what he'd wanted - he'd been desperate for her to have his baby, but would Jack want it?

Jack was the most important thing to her - the baby ... well, they wouldn't make good parents ... would they?

" Lily? " Jack asked quietly, " are you alright? "

Lily snapped out of her daydream to see him looking at her with a slight frown, " Sorry," she said, " miles away. I'm fine. I'm absolutely fine now I've got you back."

" Well you don't look fine," Jack said, walking towards her. He looked her up and down with a frown - she was covered in dust and dirt and her cheeks were red and patchy like she'd been doing lots of crying. Her clothes were covered in dirt and she looked a state.

" Look at you," he said, shaking his head, " my poor Lily. "

She sighed as he reached out and laid both of his hands on her face. He told her, " I know you too well, Mrs Harkness. What's going on? "

Lily shook her head but couldn't look him in the eye. She reached out to take hold of his shoulders as she leaned in a pressed a kiss to his cheek, " I'm just so glad you're back," she said, " I really did think you were a goner. "

Jack nodded and pulled her into a strong embrace and they stayed close together for a long moment, just hugging but not moving, and then Jack kissed the top of her head.

" It's just today," she said, " and yesterday and the day before. I've never known anything like it, and I dont know what to do, and this is ... this is huge, Jack, can't you feel it? "

" Yeah, but we'll fix it, " he said simply, opening the car door as the others moved across to make room for them. He glanced at Lily and they shared a long look before Jack squashed into the back seats alongside Owen, Ianto and Tosh.

The back of the car was squashed as it was, and Jack reached out to Lily with one arm.

She ducked down to get into the car, and Jack pulled her into his lap with ease. She smiled a little as she settled back against him, his arms both tightly around her waist, she laid her hands over his, and loved the comforting feel of his warm body against hers.

Even with everything that she was worried about, having him there made it easier to forget about her worries. She always felt so safe with him - even when she was worrying about _him. _

They were stuck in lots of traffic as they drove around and Ianto was navigating with a little sat nav in his hand. He was looking for somewhere safe for them, and he happened to be on the other side of the city centre, so it took ages to get there.

As they went through the journey, Lily realised that they hadn't spoken about Clement MacDonald - Tosh and Gwen had been to visit him shortly before Jack and the hub were blown up, but there'd been no time to talk about it.

" So," Lily said, " what about Clement MacDonald then? "

Gwen shook her head, looking around at Lily from the passenger seat, " He's an eccentric, I'll give him that. Reckons he espcaped being abducted by aliens in the 60's. Oh, I don't know. "

They debated it a little more, but didn't delve into it properly, instead they spoke about where they were going to go and how they were going to avoid being captured.

" Left here," Ianto directing, telling Rhys. Rhys followed the order and turned left and soon they were down and out of the way side road. They were out of the way and pulled up outside a large empty looking building - it looks dark and dank.

" Here we are," Ianto said.

" Here? " Jack asked, looking out of the window.

Ianto opened the car door and started to get out as he nodded. The others followed his lead and they looked up at the big old warehouse - other than Ianto no-one seemed to know what to expect, and Ianto led the way formwards, the other close behind him.

Lily looked around and waited to see where they were.

Ianto opened the door, and they all walked into a huge mostly empty room. It was dark and dank, and there was a little, but not much, furniture scattered around, and the little that was was dirty, tattered and torn. There was no heating, no electricity, no anything.

" This is us," Ianto said, looking around, " this is Torchwood now. This is home. "

Lily sighed as she strode into the middle of the room, looking all around her. She turned around in a full circle to look at the room and looked back at the team, " Well it's better than the streets," she said.

" Depends which street," Owen scoffed, pulling a face.

" Don't be so negative," Tosh said, slapping his arm lightly.

There was a scratty looking sofa in the middle of the warehouse and a couple of armchairs, and Jack simply headed for the sofa and flopped down on it. Lily followed and pulled a face at the dirty sofa, and settled for pacing up and down.

Jack sat down, and Gwen sat down beside him, while Owen sat beside her, and Tosh sat on the chair arm. Opposite them, Ianto came to sit on an armchair, while Lily paced up and down.

It was very cold in the warehouse and everyone except Lily was absolutely freezing. Since Lily was time lord she could withstand colder temperatures but she still felt the cool temperatures.

Jack also had some level of resistance too - since moving to Cardiff with him, Lily had practised her physic mind powers with him since she knew he wouldn't mind. She loved developing her mind powers and she'd ended up impoarting some of her own resistances to him - mainly by providing him with a partial shield.

" Bloody freezing," Gwen mumbled, arms tightly around herself as she sat on the sofa.

Rhys, in the meantime, used a tin drum to get a fire going. No-one spoke much, as they were all thinking about everything that was going on. Once he'd gotten the little fire going, Rhys looked up triumphantly.

" See? We've got a fire going! " he exclaimed, " I'm good for something after all. Old boy scout. "

He saluted and Gwen shook her head at him and repeated, " I'm freezing. "

" Is anyone going to see us here, you know with this firelight and stuff? " Rhys asked, mainly adressing Lily and Jack, who didn't even know anything about the building.

" It was abandoned in the 1990s," Ianto replied readily, " used to be a Torchwood holding facility, Torchwood One. "

" Been rusting away for years then," Lily said, still pacing up and down, biting down her lip and resisting the urge to lay a hand against her flat stomach.

" So what do we do? " Owen asked, shaking his head, " just sit here? "

" Worse than that," Jack said, a smirk crossing his face, " do I have to stay in these clothes? I mean, come on, tracksuit bottoms, not a good look for me. "

Lily silently agreed - tracksuit bottoms were far too baggy on him for her liking. She smiled a little and glanced at him, " Jack," she said, " we really should focus on what's going on here. It's early morning now, and the aliens are arriving today. The last message via the children said today, and we're stuck in the back and beyond of no-where. We need a plan. We're useless here. "

" But we've got each other," Jack said firmly, tipping his head in a gesture that she should come over to him and slapping his thigh. " The old team, we're down but we're not out yet. "

Lily came to sit on his knee and his arms found their way around her waist loosely as she settled againt him, where she seemed to fit perfectly.

Jack continued, telling everyone, " At least we're all together now. We've survived worse than this. " Settling on Gwen, he said, " besides, I don't know how much fighting you should be doing in your condition. "

Gwen's eyes widened in panic and she looked from Jack to Rhys. The others all looked between Gwen and Rhys and waited for Rhys to explode.

But Lily also started to feel guilty - Jack was telling Gwen to stay out of the fighting because she was pregnant - he was trying to protect her baby. But here Lily was, not telling him that she pregnant. It dawned on her for the first time, that she could be risking their child's life. And then it was the first time she'd referred to it as "their child", as if they could actually have it. Surely they couldn't have a baby?

" What's that mean? " Rhys demanded.

Gwen shot a glare at Jack, " Christ, Jack," she whispered.

Gwen stood up quickly, trying to catch it before it exploded, but Rhys looked furious, " He knows you're pregnant? You told him before you told me? "

Lily rolled her eyes at Jack - he couldn't be trusted, but it made her smirk because it was Gwen.

Gwen furiously tried to backpedal and the others all watched with interest as she tried to calm him down, " Rhys, he just happened to be there, and it all happened really really fast, honestly. "

" Last to know! " shouted Rhys, shaking his head and waving his hand around angrily, " last to bloody know! Well, thank you very much! "

Rhys then walked away, mumbling to himself, and Gwen started to hurry after him, but stopped to slap Jack on the back of the head, " You couldn't keep your mouth shut, could you? "

Jack smirked as Gwen chased after her husband, and Lily shook her head at him,

" That's not funny, you know," she told Owen, accusingly, shifting so that she was sitting sideways in Jack's lap and looking at Owen.

Jack shrugged and after a pause, he said, " She's got a point actually. Imagine how you'd feel if your wife was pregnant but didn't want to tell you, and told everyone else first. "

" Speaking from experience, are you? " Tosh asked, raising her eyebrows.

Owen smirked a little, " Yeah, Jack, how many kids have you actually got knocking around? I mean, a man of your age ... no offence, sweetheart," he added, looking at Lily.

" No," Jack said, tightening his warm, safe hold on Lily, while her hand was on the back of his head and stroked his hair lightly. He looked at Lily, " I'm not. Speaking from experience, I mean. I swear, I've only ever got Lucia pregnant. I've only got one kid. Honestly. "

Lily swallowed hard and nodded, " I know Jack," she said, shaking her head.

As Ianto and Jack started talking about something else, Lily was left feeling even more guilty. She thought about how it was probably unfair that she was lying to him about it, keeping it secret from him, when he deserved to know.

The more she thought about it, the more she considered telling him about it, but when she did, all of her fears came back, and the panic built up. No, she would tell him later.

When Gwen and Rhys came back, Lily stood up, " We need to do something," she said, desperate to do anything to take their minds off it - she was determined to take the lead, " we're Torchwood. This is what we do - we've got to do something. Let's see what we've got that's of any use. "

Everyone suddenly sprang to life, and stood up. Ianto and Owen exchanged looks - this was more like the Lily they knew and liked, more of the usual taking control, being strong, and giving orders, making plans.

They all stood around a table and started turning out their pockets, looking through what they had and what they could do.

" OK," Jack said, as everyone started to put their things down on the table, " we have guns, - "

" And a pen knife," Gwen added, putting it down.

" laptop, now dead," Ianto said, putting down the laptop case.

" Credit cards and a phone which they can trace," Jack added, and everyone delved further into their pockets.

" Super phone," Lily said, putting hers down, " which isn't very super right now since my stupid dad won't answer it, but they probably can't trace it because they know next to nothing about me, so they won't know about my phone. "

" Lemsip," Tosh added, tossing it onto the table.

" And neurofen," Owen said.

" Book of stamps, and a packet of polos," Rhys chipped int.

Everyone threw bits of money down and Lily searched through her pockets, which were much bigger than they looked thanks to a little time lord magic. She pulled out several items and chucked them with the others,

" Laser spanner ... psychic paper ... and a clockwork mouse," she said triumphantly.

As Ianto threw down some more money and Jack started to count it, Lily pulled a final item out of her pocket and threw it onto the table, barely blinking at it, though anyone else would have been embarrassed.

" And some condoms," she added, folding her arms afterwards.

Everyone else looked at her, and a smirk crossed Jack's face shamelessly while Ianto looked embarrassed - certainly the prude of the lot of them - and Owen smirked too.

" Why do you need to carry them around all the time? " Rhys frowned.

Lily scoffed and looked at Jack before looking back at Rhys, " Use your imagination - never know when you might need them. There was this one time - "

Jack's smirk faded and he quickly cleared his throat, " And we've got £15. "

" And fifteen pence," Gwen added, putting it down on the table.

Owen sighed, " And an alien to meet today. It doesn't look like we've got a lot going for us, does it? "

" Yeah, but we've still got some of the old hub software," Tosh pointed out, suddenly sounding thoughtful, as everyone turned ot look at her, " even if we've lost the hub, the software still exists on the server. Only trouble is, we'd need more equipment, and electricity. "

" And how are we going to get that, hidden away like criminals? " Rhys sighed, running his hand thrhough his hair, just desperate to get home.

Lily suddenly looked at him and she clicked her fingers and pointed at him, " That's it - amazing. "

" What? " Owen frowned, looking at her.

" Us. Criminals," Lily said, grinning - that was perfect, absolutely what they should do, " if they're already treating us like criminals, we might as well act like them, hadn't we? We've got a great resource in Gwen, after all - she trained with the police, she'll know every trick in the book. "

Everyone paused to consider it, and Gwen then nodded, " I think we should do it. "

" Jack? " Lily asked, looking up at him with irresistable emerald green eyes, waiting for him to confirm her plan - she knew he'd do anything that she told him, and she just waited for him to agree.

Jack looked at her and frowned, " Baby, it's a good plan, and I'm all for it if it means getting us some laptops, electricity, money, but I don't want you out stealing. What if you get caught? I don't want to risk anything happening to you. "

" Are you joking? " Lily asked, rolling her eyes, " I've nearly died loads of times - I'm sure I can get away with a bit of theft. Admittedly it's not very moral, but it's all for the greater good. "

Jack sighed, " I'm only thinking about you. "

" Yeah, well don't," Lily told him firmly, " we're trying to solve a mystery, and I'm not the only thing in the world to think about. "

" You are to me," Jack said seriously.

Lily shook her head with her brilliant wide grin, " Don't be so soft, come on, bit of theft? Easy. I think I'll teach you a trick or two, Captain. "

Jack grinned too, " Let's do it. "

They all split up and headed off in different directions and agreed to meet back at the warehouse once they were satisfied that they'd gotten enough things, or once they thought they'd risked it enough.

Jack and Lily left together hand in hand, and although Lily was distracted by the worrying though of her unborn baby, it seemed to fade away when she was with Jack - he seemed to have some kind of magical quality about him.

They walked around the surrounding area, waiting for someone they could fleece.

They walked hand in hand looking like a normal loving couple, and Lily smiled and pulled Jack back, around the corner from a restaurant, where people were eating outside in the street.

" Ok," she said, peering around the corner sneakily, " here's the plan - that restaurant over there, that couple are just finishing up. Once a waiter brings them the bill and they get the money ready, you go and collect the bill. Then you run. "

Jack raised his eyebrows, " You sound like you've done this before. "

Lily shrugged silently and Jack laughed. He leaned in and gently kissed her forehead and mumbled, " Stay there. "

Lily watched him from a safe distance, and she grinned as he came sprinting towards her and they disappeared down the alleyway. Jack held up a bunch of notes and Lily grinned and laid both of her hands on his face, leaning up and kissing his lips firmly.

" Oh, you are amazing," she said proudly.

Jack laughed and slung his arm around her waist and it didn't take much longer for them to get going. Lily would stop and ask someone for directions or have a flirt with them at the counter of a coffee shop, while Jack sneakily took their wallet out of their pocket or bag, or even picked up the laptop bag and hurried off with their laptop.

They managed to steal several things, and once they'd got it all, they walked down the street. Jack looked around thoughtfully and said, " They saw us get away in Gwen and Rhys's car. We need a new one. "

Lily scoffed, " How are we going to get hold of another car? "

" Oh come on," Jack said, reprimanding her, " I thought we could do anything. You're the one that started it off with the whole theft thing. "

" Yeah, but how are we going to get a car? "

" Trust me," Jack said, " we'll do it. " With their hands interlocked, he lifted their joined hands up to his lips and kissed the back of her hand before giving her a little wink.

Clearly, he was up to something, she thought.

" Over there," Jack said, lowering their hands again and pulling her closer to him, " other side of the road. Man at the cash point, keys in the ignition, car just ready to steal. When I say so, run, yeah? "

Lily laughed a little but nodded.

" Ok," Jack said, keeping an eye on the man, " now ... go! "

They both ran as fast as they could to the strangers car and Lily jumped into the passenger seat while Jack got into the driver's side, turned the keys and drove. He drove fast and furious and they soon tore off around the corner, while the owner of the car shouted after them at the top of his voice.

" That was amazing," Lily said, leaning over to kiss his cheek as they tore away.

Jack flashed his most irresistable grin at her, " I try my best, baby. Now, we'd better get back to the warehouse - we've got work to do. "

* * *

**Author's Note: I've split Day Three into two parts because it's easier to get up with there being so much to fit in each chapter - this is part one, and part two of day three should be up soon. As always, let me know if there was anything you liked about it and if you've got any thoughts/ideas.**


	7. Day Three Part Two

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

Chapter Seven

They soon got back to the warehouse, where Tosh, Owen, Rhys and Gwen were comparing the things that they'd stolen - between them they'd got several laptops, credit cards, wallets and purses.

" Knew we could count on you lot," Lily said, looking at Tosh, " d'you think you can get us hooked up with some electricity and some decent internet access. "

" No problem," Tosh said easily.

" Great," Lily said.

She, Tosh and Jack set about hooking everything up and it took them a while to work out exactly what they needed to do. They wired up the laptops, messed about with the mains, and between them managed to get something going.

" Here we go," Jack mumbled to himself.

He flicked a switch and the whole room was illuminated with light and electricity, " Oh yes! " Jack grinned, " let there be light! "

" Haha, oh yes! " Lily grinned, hands on her hips as she looked around, and Jack fired up the computers.

Jack smiled and sat down at one of the computers, firing it up. Lily bit her lip and came to stand behind him, resting her hands on his shoulders and absent mindedly rubbing at them.

Jack moaned as she rubbed at his shoulders expertly, and Owen sighed heavily from the other side of the computers.

" I really don't think we need to hear that," he said, shaking his head as Lily mischeviously smirked and continued to rub at Jack's shoulders lightly.

Jack shrugged, " I can't help it if my wife's got magic hands. "

" Jack! " Owen said, shaking his head and turning away.

Jack chuckled to himself as the computer booted up, and everyone in the room whipped around to look as the door to the warehouse opened. Ianto came walking in carrying several bags in his arms.

" Nice," he said, looking around, " very smart. And I see we've got a new car parked outside. "

He put the bags down on the table and Lily and the others looked at him. A rush of relief blew through Lily as she looked at Ianto, " Where have you been? We thought you'd been arrested or something! "

" I had to buy some essentials," Ianto shrugged, " all this technology's one thing, but let's not forget the creature comforts. Coffee obviously, and more importantly ... I didn't know your exact sizes, but I reckons I've got a good eye ... "

He reached into his bags and started pulling out clothes and throwing them to each of them.

Lily caught hold of the clothes he threw at her and she grinned gratefully, " Oh sweetie, that's amazing. Thanks, I think we were all starting to stink. "

" Oh, nice one," Rhys nodded as he caught his own new clothes.

Lily held the clothes at arms length as she looked at them - Ianto had bought her a peach pencil skirt and blouse, and had even gotten her an almost perfect copy of her beige trenchcoat which she'd lost while rescuing Jack from Ashford Down.

Ianto looked at Jack and pulled something out of the bag as he looked at Jack seriously, " And for you, sir, the army surplus special. "

Jack stood up slowly and shook his head, " You're kidding me? " he asked, excited as he thought about wearing something other than the ugly jogging bottoms and t-shirt he'd been put in.

Ianto smiled a little as Jack took the clothes from him and stared at them - he held the blue shirt, the grey trousers, even the perfect military coat in his hands and a grin crossed his face.

Everyone took their clothes and went off to seperate area to get changed, and when Lily had fresh clean clothes on, she felt ten times better. She, Ianto, Owen, Tosh, Gwen and Rhys were by the newly set up computers and Jack was the last one to get changed.

He walked back towards them slowly - probably for dramatic effect, Lily found herself thinking - and he looked very pleased with himself.

" Oh, I'm back," he said as he stopped beside them all, in full military dress, hands stuffed deep in his pockets.

The team couldn't help feel happy about this - it was one step closer to being back together, having their team as it should be, and being back to normal. Owen and Gwen whooped and whistled teasingly and the others smiled.

Lily took some comfort in seeing him back in his normal outfit and Jack's eyes settled on her.

" You look good," he told her with a sweet smile as he reached out softly and laid a hand on her cheek. He smiled fondly as he looked at her and he slowly leaned in and planted a soft and gentle kiss on her lips, his lip barely touching hers.

She felt her knees go weak with even the barest of kisses and she smiled as she watched him take a seat at the computer. She sighed and sat down on the table beside Owen, who looked at her in concern but said nothing as she laid a hand on her flat stomach.

She watched Jack tap away at the computers and Ianto went off to make coffee for everyone. After less than a minute, Jack grinned triumphantly, " And we're in! " he said loudly.

" Just like the old days," Gwen wished wistfully, thinking of the hub.

" I'll patch into the news channels and see what's going on," Tosh called from the other computer while Owen and Jack watched their other halves working away.

Lily felt tired and as she sat in silence, all the worries of the baby started to come back - the fact that Jack wouldn't want a baby, he wouldn't want to be tied down with a kid, he wouldn't want to have to worry about that when catching aliens, and he'd make a terrible dad - he was far too irresponsible. They weren't ready for a baby, she was sure of it.

She didn't know how she could possibly tell her husband about the baby on the way, and it especially wasn't the time right now.

As she contemplated this, she didn't realise how long had passed, until Tosh said,

" No sign of anything. "

Owen nudged Lily from where he sat beside her and mouthed "you okay?." She glared at him for daring to risk raising suspicion in front of Jack, but Jack wasn't watching - instead, she nodded, and started to think logically about what they could do and where they could go.

" So where do we start? " Gwen asked, to herself, from where she sat at a third computer, before looking around at everyone, " what are we looking at? "

Lily looked up as she tried to think about it all, " Run a check on that Clement MacDonald you visited the other day. See what we can find out. I also want a check on those guys who got assassinated when they tried to kill Jack - Ellen Hunt, Andrew Staines and Michael Saunders. Those names mean anything to you, Jack? "

Jack shook his head, " No, nothing. "

While Tosh considered it, she said, " What we really need, is to get into Whitehall. Lois told Gwen and I that they're building something at Thames House. We need to know what that is. We need to download the eye-5 software, because I have Torchwood contact lenses. "

Owen raised his eyebrows as he asked, " Yeah, babe, but what do we use them for? "

Tosh shrugged as she looked at Owen and then at everyone else, " We need a way in, and there's only one person still talking to us. "

Lily's attention was caught and she and Jack exchanged a look which said that they were both thinking the same thing.

" You think we should ask Lois to wear the contacts for us, get us in Thames House? " Lily asked.

Tosh shrugged, " It's just a suggestion. "

" No," Lily said, " I like it. Jack, I really think we should do this - if we can get Lois to wear the contacts in secret meetings, we'll be able to see in using the software on the laptop, and see what's going on. That's what we need. "

Jack didn't even think about it - it made perfect sense and it was really all that they had.

" Yeah," he said - he trusted Lily to make the decisions and he knew that she could always be trusted to do the right thing. " Tosh, Gwen, since you were the ones to meet Lois originally and form the connection with her, you should go meet her. Convince her. "

Tosh and Gwen didn't need telling twice, and after saying goodbye to both Owen and Rhys and promising that they'd behave themselves and look after themselves, they left together.

After watching Tosh and Gwen leave, Jack glanced at the computer in front of them and then looked around to Lily and Owen who were sat side by side, and at Rhys, standing alone, and Ianto, who brought drinks over for them.

" What do we do now? " he asked, looking for Lily, expecting her to make an answer.

Lily frowned, " I'm not sure. We need to see how things go with Lois - she's our key, and we need to know more about Macdonald. "

" Why don't I make us all something to eat? " Ianto suggested as he looked at his collegues, he bit his lower lip to prevent him from making the comment he wanted to make _"you need to keep your strength up, now you're eating for two. "_ He didn't say it, but the look on his face as his eyes lingered on Lily said it all, and she knew exactly what he was thinking.

" Yeah," Jack nodded, " we should all have something to eat. That is, if you bought anything. "

" Course I did," Ianto said, " not much, but a bit of something. We could all do with something, I think." He stopped and looked at his collegues, " Rhys, d'you want to give me a hand? "

Rhys nodded, " Yeah, I'm no good with the aliens, but I could make a bit of food I suppose. "

Ianto and Rhys headed off to the other side of the room, where there was the possibility of cooking some food. Owen cleared his throat as he looked between the couple he was with and he looked after Ianto and Rhys, " I'll ... I'll go with them, maybe I can help," he said, not wanting to play third party to the couple.

Left alone with her husband, Lily took in the sight of him sitting at the computer desk, the military coat now thrown over his chair, sleeves of his shirt rolled up around his elbows. He looked tired and his face was dirty, but he was as handsome as ever.

Jack focused on the computer screen for a few seconds, but he knew his beloved wife was watching him - he knew the effect he had on her. A slow smirk crossed his face as he waited before turning to look at her.

" Are you going to just stand there staring, or are you going to come and join me, then? " he asked.

Lily smiled and pulled up a chair next to him. She crossed one leg over the other and one of her hands wandered over to rest on Jack's leg - her hand rested on his thigh and he smiled as he rested his hand on top of hers.

Jack sighed and frowned, " I don't know where to move forward from here," he said.

" Sure you do," Lily said, " once Lois gets us inside Thames House, we'll know more about what's going on. In the meantime, we're going to research the three who were assassinated, and Clement MacDonald. "

Jack nodded, " Why do you always know what to do? "

Lily scoffed, " I _don't. _I just go around guessing at what to do, and sometimes I guess right. "

Jack smiled a little but he lifted his hand from where it rested on top of Lily's, and he ran both of his hands through his hair, exhaling heavily.

" I just don't understand," he said, " Frobisher's got to be the key to this whole thing - he's just a civil servant. As far as the running of the country goes, he's nothing. What makes him start authorising executions? "

Lily shrugged, " I don't know, kitten. I ... I don't know, but we'll figure it out, won't we? I know we will. "

Jack nodded but didn't say anything. After a moment, he went back to the computer and tapped away at the keyboard while Lily watched him - neither of them quite knew what to do or what to say.

The longer they sat in silence, the more time Lily had to think about everything and she didn't want to think about it, but she had so many things she and Jack needed to talk about, and so many questions she wanted to ask him.

She thought about the pain he must have felt and everything that had happened to him in the last couple of days and she bit her lip nervously as she looked at him.

His jaw was tensed and although having his wife beside him was something of a comfort, neither of them could be truly comforted with everything that was going on.

All they both wanted to do was go home and curl up in bed together, where there were no problems.

" What did it feel like? " Lily asked, her voice barely above a whisper, " b-being blown up? "

Jack turned his head to look at her and his face was impossibly calm. He pulled a face and then said, " It wasn't the best of days. "

Lily considered that, but she wanted to know more - she loved him so deeply that she wanted to know exactly how he'd felt and she felt like she needed to understand.

" No," she said, wanting a real answer, " but did you feel it, or did everything ... go black? "

" I felt it," he replied, eyes locked on hers.

Lily winced and looked away, " Shit. "

" Yeah," Jack mumbled.

Lily sighed and shook her head, and after a moment, she looked back at Jack to find that he was still looking at her. " I'm so sorry," she said, " I'm sorry, Jack. "

" Why? " he asked calmly, " it's not your fault. "

Lily didn't have a response, and Jack smiled a little. He pushed his chair back a little from the computer so there was more room between the computer and his chair, but so he could still reach the computer.

" Come here," he said, patting his thigh.

Lily smiled and looked at him - she loved having Jack close by and that always made her feel more comfortable, and much safer.

" Is this the time for it? " she asked, though all she wanted to do was be with him, with none of this hanging over them.

He shrugged, " There's not much we can do until we hear from Gwen and Tosh, is there? And in the meantime, I want a cuddle from my beautiful, beautiful wife. "

" A cuddle? " Lily asked, although she stood up and shifted closer to him, " you're so soft, Jack. "

Jack smiled and happily wrapped his arms around Lily's waist as she slowly sat down and settled into his lap. Her body was soft and warm and Jack wrapped his arms around her and held her close. She smiled and wrapped her arm around him too, settling against him comfortably.

Jack sighed as he held her close, " I love cuddling you like this," he said.

Lily smiled a little more as she told him, " I really thought our luck had run out with all this, you know. That you wouldn't come back to me. "

" Hey," Jack said softly, keeping one arm around her waist to support her and draw her in, and the other coming out so that he could lay his hand on her cheek, " you listen to me - every time I die, I come back, don't I? And I come back for you. You keep me going baby. "

" I just thought that our luck had run out," Lily said, shaking her head.

" That'll never happen," he said, his thumb rubbing across her cheek lightly as he kept his hand at her cheek, " I promise. I'm a fixed point in time and space - that's what your dad told us. I think that means it's forever. "

Lily smiled, " Yeah," she said, " well I'm telling you, it had _better _be forever. "

Jack smiled and the pair of them stayed together happily - neither of them knew quite what to do or say but they wanted nothing more than to stay together and do nothing.

Lily wondered if this was the time to tell him that she was pregnant - they were sat together in a rare moment of contentment and since they'd never even discussed having kids, she really felt like she ought to bring the subject up.

Maybe she could work around it, she thought.

Bring it into the conversation carefully, kind of lightly, and build up to telling him that she was pregnant - she knew he ought to be told but she was terrified about his reaction. She felt like she needed to tell him, but she couldn't bring herself to. She needed to tell him, and she decided that she was going to try and bring up kids in general, and build her way up to it.

Maybe if she brought kinds in general into the conversation, she could figure out his feelings on having kids.

" Do you ever think about the future, Jack? " she asked him, happy to sit in his lap as one of her hands played with his hair and she felt the muscle of his strong legs beneath her and his strong arm around her body.

" Sometimes," he said lightly, kind of offhand, " I always thought our future was getting married, but now that we are ... I don't know. "

" Do you think we'd ever be like normal earth couples? " she asked him, trying to act as if there was no agenda - she was genuinely curious, but she needed to know what was going on, and where he was thinking.

Jack laughed, " Are you kidding? Can you really picture us living in the suburbs with a white picket fence, and a couple of dogs, working as teachers, or you being a housewife? Baby, I'm immortal, you're not even human, and we catch aliens for a living. No, I don't think we'll ever be like normal couples. "

Lily shrugged, " No, I meant ... I don't know ... " she couldn't bring herself to mention children because she thought he might twig something, and she wanted to know how he was feeling about children first.

" You mean being married, having a house, a couple of kids? " Jack tested with a smirk, knowing full well what she meant.

" I suppose," Lily shrugged, " d'you think ... maybe we'd ever _have _kids? "

Jack laughed, thinking this was a general hypothetical conversation with nothing at stake and he was relaxed and laidback and in a rather open manner as he chuckled, " Maybe in a couple of hundred years or so. "

" Really? " Lily asked, doing her very best to remain off hand and casual.

Jack chuckled, " Sure, I always imagine us with a couple of kids one day, but maybe ... maybe when Torchwood's not so ... active. "

" What? " Lily asked, shaking her head a little, " we'll always have Torchwood. "

Jack shrugged in an offhand manner with a smile, while Lily's confidence faded and she found it hard to keep going. " I just thought ... maybe when we'd settled down, against the whole alien catching - maybe one day. God, can you imagine having kids in the way all the time when we're trying to have fun and catch aliens - it'd be a bloody nightmare, wouldn't it? "

He was laughing and Lily faked a smile but she didn't feel like smiling - she'd been working up to telling him all about her pregnancy, but couldn't bring herself to do it now. Not now he'd basically told her that he didn't want kids any time soon - she didn't consider that he might feel different if he actually knew what was going on.

All she felt now was fear - Jack didn't want kids, which left her in a mess. She'd hoped that he might tell her something lovely and romantic about how he couldn't wait to have a family with her, but she knew she'd been kidding herself.

" Mmmm, yeah," she mumbled.

Jack smiled a little, " I mean don't get me wrong, I'm sure I'd like to have children one day, but I can't imagine having them right now. Nah, give it a hundred years or so. "

Lily nodded but said nothing.

Jack didn't notice that she was preoccupied, and all Lily could think about was the fact that he wouldn't want their baby - it would ruin his life and she couldn't be the one to bring that to him. He didn't want to be lumbered with a kid, she thought - not when he loved his work and what he did. She worried too much about it, and became more determined not to do anything about it - she would build up some more courage and tell him later on, she decided.

As they fell into a short silence, Jack smiled at her fondly and stroked her cheek with his thumb and he still cupped her cheek gently.

" I ... um ... I went to see Alice, earlier," he told Lily.

" I know " Lily mumbled.

" I tried to get her to let me to take Stephen off for a bit," Jack said quietly, before shaking his head, " what kind of grandfather am I? "

" Hey," Lily said softly, " it's a difficult time for us all - none of us quite know what to do, do we? "

Jack shook his head again and closed his eyes, " I'm so scared about it, Lily. I know I shouldn't be scared, but I am. What the hell's happening to the kids - what's making them do that? And Stephen, anything could he happening to him. "

Lily wanted to reply and to comfort him but she couldn't think of the words. She was distracted by thoughts of her own child - she now had no idea what to do and she bit down on her lip to prevent herself from sighing in despair - she just didn't know what to do.

" Lily? "

Lily quickly snapped out of her trance and looked at Jack, her eyes wide. She didn't quite know what to say and her husband smiled at her, " Listen," he said, " you look ... well, you look beautiful of course, but you look tired. Go and get a drink or something, will you? "

" Jack," Lily said as she looked at the computers, " I should be doing work. "

" No, get over there, and get yourself a drink," Jack said, " you look like you could sleep for a week. I ... If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were ill, actually. You're all pale. "

" I'm not ill," Lily replied, standing up slowly, clambering off his lap.

Jack looked at her carefully and the look on his face was one of pure concern. " I want you to be safe," he said, " get a glass of water, sit down for ten minutes and let me know when you're feeling a bit better, baby. I'm sorry, this is all so much to cope with - if there was any way that you couldn't be here ... if I could get you away from all of this ... "

" Hey," Lily said softly, " we're in this together - just like always, yeah? We'll fix this. "

Jack nodded and Lily crossed the room and went over to the other side and around the little corner, where she was out of the sight of Jack. She joined Owen, Ianto and Rhys in the kitchen area they'd set up, and all three of them men looked at her - Rhys was cooking beans in a pan while Owen and Ianto stood around doing nothing.

" Are you alright? " Owen asked her as she joined them and sat down on the raggedy old sofa.

" I don't know," Lily said.

Rhys was oblivious to the look on her face as he cooked away, but Ianto and Owen both saw the look on her face - they exchanged a look before Ianto asked her carefully,

" Did you ... talk to Jack? "

Lily looked at him and shook her head, " Tried to. Couldn't tell him. "

Ianto gave her a sympathetic look and as Lily sighed and ran a hand through her hair, Owen poured her a glass of water - she looked like she could do with one, he thought. Ianto looked across the room and said, " I'll go see how Jack's going on - help him out with the investigations. "

Lily nodded and accepted the glass of water from Owen gratefully and as Ianto went off in Jack's direction and Rhys cooked the food, Owen sat down beside Lily on the sofa.

" Hey," she mumbled, before sipping at the water.

" So you didn't tell him? " Owen whispered, so that only she could hear him.

" Couldn't," she mumbled trying to push all thoughts away and focus on the matter at hand. Although the truth was, the more she thought about jack not wanting their child, or neither of them being a good parent, the more the thought she wanted the baby - thoughts of not being good enough to be a mum, or not being ready or being too scared to tell Jack, only made her want what she thought she couldn't have, more. She was starting to think that despite all her worries, maybe she could have this baby.

She sighed and ran a hand through her hair - she didn't know what the hell to do.

" Oh, Lily," Owen mumbled, shaking his head, " you've got to tell him at some point. "

" I really tried to," Lily whispered, " I even mentioned kids, but he made it perfectly clear that he doesn't want kids just yet - he doesn't want them for a while. Not when he's enjoying the job - it'd ruin it for him. "

" No it wouldn't," Owen said, " you're not thinking straight. You've - "

" Please," Lily said, " can we just ... can we just find out what's going on with the kids? I'm sicking of talking about the baby - I just can't deal with it. "

She finished off the glass of water and stood up. She wandered over to Rhys, who hadn't been listening to their conversation as they'd spoken so quietly, and put the glass down on the makeshift worktop.

" Better get investigating," she said, " we won't find anything out from sitting around here, will we? "

Owen watched her walk back towards Ianto and Jack and frowned - he didn't know what to do to help his honorary sister and followed her towards their collegues. He wanted to help her but knew that she was a fully grown woman - he could only help her if she'd let him and right now she wasn't letting anyone do anything.

" How's it going? " Lily asked, as she and Owen joined Jack and Ianto. Lily came to stand between Jack and Owen, while Ianto was stood on Jack's other side.

Ianto gestured at the computer in front of them, " We've found Clement MacDonald on CRIMNIT. Turns out that he was arrested two hours ago in London. "

" Really? " Lily asked, raising her eyebrows, " well, you know what we've got to do then. "

Jack nodded, " Yeah. Ring Gwen or Tosh - tell them that we need them to go get Clement MacDonald free and bring him back to us - we need to find out everything we can about him, don't we? "

Lily pulled her phone from her pocket, thinking that if only she could focus on all of this, she'd be able to take her mind from the baby and everything else she was worrying about. She flipped open her phone and dialled Tosh's number.

" Tosh," she said with a faint smile as Tosh answered the phone, " you and Gwen are both alright? how did it go with Lois? Will she do it? "

" Gwen and I are fine, and maybe," Tosh replied, " I think she's scared. I gave her the contacts, but whether she'll wear them and give us the information that we need, is a different matter, isn't it? "

" Right, well we tried - we've just got to rely on her now," Lily said, " in the meantime, I've got a new little mission for you. "

" I'm listening," Tosh said carefully.

" Right," Lily said, " Clement MacDonald's turned up, in Camden police station of all places. He's been arrested for theft and minor affray and we need him. Could you get down there and get him out, please? "

" What? " Tosh asked, " how are we supposed to do that? "

Lily shrugged, " Tosh, you've got an ex-police officer with you, haven't you? I'm sure you'll manage it between you. "

There was a pause after which Tosh replied, " Sure we will. We'll get down there right now. Give Owen a peck from me, won't you? "

Lily laughed at her friend and ended the phonecall. As she slipped her phone back into her pocket, she turned to Owen and got on her toes to plant a firm kiss on his cheek.

Owen was suprised at the sudden guesture and laughed, " Well, thanks, sweetheart," he said, " I'm flattered, but I've of already got a girlfriend. "

" It was from Tosh," Lily said by way of explanation, as Jack rolled his eyes and wrapped an arm around Lily's waist, pulling her away from Owen a little - half joking but half actually possessively.

His hand was clamped around her wrist and he pulled her closer to him - he'd been about to draw her in and wrap his arm around her waist, but instead became distracted by the computer screen, with Clement's file.

A dark shadow seemed to cross his face and his expression darkened as he glared at the computer screen.

Lily immediately noticed the difference in him, as the expression passed his face and his grip on her forearm tightened a little. Lily didn't say anything, but kept an eye on Jack carefully.

" What's his story? " Jack asked Ianto, referring to Clement.

Ianto scrolled down idly as he answered, " According to Gwen and Tosh, it's your classic alien abduction. When he was a kid, 1965, he was living ten miles out of Arbroe at Holly Tree Lodge - an orphanage. "

Jack's expression became one of worry and Lily knew there was something wrong. She knew Jack too well, and he'd just frozen - he was still gripping her forearm from where he'd joking pulled her away from Owen, and she didn't like it one bit.

Neither Owen nor Ianto had noticed and Ianto continued to look through the files, " The kids there were all taken away in 1965, it was closing down, and they were being taken to a second care home, called Harbour Heights, in Plymouth. Except that's where the records stop. "

The look on Jack's face was now a very deadly one and Lily knew now that there was something seriously wrong. He looked like he could kill someone, and his whole body tensed - he didn't seem to realise where he was or what was going on and one of his hands clenched into a fist while the other hand, around Lily's arm, slowly tightened.

" Jack! " Lily hissed as she felt the pressure on her arm.

Jack looked at her with blank eyes and let go of her arm, still in a daze, and his eyes were glossed over and had a dangerous glint to them.

Ianto shrugged and added, " I mean, it was the 60s, a lot of paperwork's gone missing, but if what Clement told Tosh and Gwen is true, they never got there. "

The look on Jack's face was now terrifying and Lily couldn't figure out what was wrong with him - he clearly knew something and she wanted to know exactly what it was.

" Jack? " she asked, edging forwards so that she was standing in front of him. She tugged on his sleeve and she laid her hand on his arm, " what's going on? "

He shook his head.

Lily sighed in frustration and Ianto and Owen also saw that the look on Jack's face was dangerous and none of them quite knew what to do. Lily spoke quickly and urgently, but quietly, " Jack, talk to me - tell me what's going on. You're ... you're starting to worry me. "

Jack snapped out of his daze as he thought about what he was going to do, and he tried and failed to force out a smile for Lily. " It's okay, baby," he said, before moving her aside and suddenly becoming more active as looked at Ianto.

" Show me those people," he said urgently as Lily hovered behind him, trying to figure out what was going on. Lily could tell that Jack had his most urgent business voice on and something was seriously wrong as he spoke quickly to Ianto.

Lily knew that he something and she desperately needed to know what was going on.

Jack was scary when he acted like this - frantic and urgent, with a very dark look upon his face, like he'd discovered something very very horrible, and she didn't know how much horror she could take.

" Who? " Ianto asked, confused.

" Andrew Staines, Ellen Hunt, Michael Saunders," Jack said as fast as he possibly could, " the ones who were killed the same day as me - show me. "

Ianto started to find the pictures, and asked, " Why? "

" Show me! " Jack snapped, banging his hand down on the table impatiently, and making Lily jump, from where she stood beside Owen. She and Owen stood behind Jack and both watched and waited in confusion, while Ianto dragged up the pictures.

" No, no, give me their history," Jack said as he leaned over Ianto, trying to get him to speed up as he spoke quickly and gestured frantically with his hands, " show me them 40 years ago. "

Ianto did as he was told while wondering what was going on, like Lily and Owen.

Lily could just sense it - whatever was going on, it was very bad.

She was watching Jack's reactions carefully, and when Ianto had gotten up the pictures, Jack's face totally changed. His expression was one of pure shock - he stared, stunned, at the screen and his face soon contorted into a rather different expression.

He was shocked but then he was filled with an expression of despair - the entire look on his face changed and he was absolutely stunned and in depair. Lily didn't think she'd ever seen jack look like that, and she knew that whatever he'd discovered, it was bad news for them.

He looked absolutely horrified and all he could do was stare - it was as if he'd realised what was going on, and knew exactly how much chaos this was going to cause - as if he'd discovered the end of the world.

" What? Do you know them? " Lily asked, not daring to move forwards and lay her hands on him, as much as he was scaring her - all she wanted was to solve this.

" I never knew their names," said Jack, tears welling up in his eyes.

Lily couldn't bear to see him like that and her voice was barely above a whisper as she tried to get the information out of her husband, " Who were they, Jack? Tell me, did you know them? "

All of a sudden, Jack turned on his heel and ran for the sofa where he'd left his greatcoat. He pulled the coat on in a hurry and ran for the door of the warehouse.

Lily stared after him - she couldn't believe what he was doing - they needed him, and all he was going to do was run off. They needed to know what was going on - the last thing they needed was Jack running off and leaving them in the dark.

" Jack! " Ianto shouted, " you can't just run off! "

" Yeah, get back here! " Owen demanded.

Rhys, cooking a bit of food for them all, looked up from what he was doing, " Ey, the beans are nearly done! " he shotued after Jack as some kind of hopeful way of making him come back.

Lily groaned loudly in frustration as Jack yanked open the door and she shouted,

" Jack Harkness, don't you dare! "

Jack stopped still on hearing his wife's voice. It sparked something in him and he suddenly remembered that he had a huge responsibility to Lily had he had to make her feel safe, but he couldn't bear to tell her what had happened in the past - she'd be so disappointed in him, he just knew it.

He turned around and strode back across the room, not once taking his eyes from her. He was focused on her and his expression was still one of grim despair as he thought about what lay ahead.

He stopped just in front of her and before she could open her mouth to ask him what he was going to do, he took her face in his hands and slowly brought his lips to hers. She barely reacted as his kiss seemed so much more overwhelming than usual, and she felt the flood of his futuristic pheremones against her. Her knees went weak as she felt his lips press against hers, expertly kissing her in the way that he knew made her melt. As her knees gave way, she gripped his arms and he moved one arm to rest around her waist, keeping her upright.

When they broke apart, Jack tried to move away and Lily grabbed hold of his arm and tried to pull him back to her,

" Don't go," she said, shaking her head.

" I've got to," he said.

Lily tried to pull him back to her frantically and she looked at him in a panic - she knew they needed Jack. Jack always knew what was going on, and it seemed that he knew exactly what was going on this time, but he wouldn't share it with them. She wanted to know what he knew and how they could help and was annoyed and frustrated that he wouldn't tell her, and was just running away on them. They needed to pull together, and she was furious that he'd think of running away.

Then there was the fact that she wanted him to be safe - she couldn't bear the thought of him running off when all of this was going on. And she felt so emotional as it was, that this was really the last thing that she needed. Yes, she was furious with him.

Tears filled up in his eyes and she said, " No, we need you. _I _need you. "

" I'm sorry," Jack said taking a step away and freeing himself from her grip. He walked backwards, towards the door and shook his head as he did so, " I'm so sorry, baby. I'm sorry. "

Jack turned his back on her and as he got to the door, she shouted, desperately trying to stop him,

" Jack! Get back here, right now! Jack Harkness, I am going to _kill _you if you walk out on us! Harkness! Get back here! "

The door slammed and Jack had disappeared out of the door.

" Bastard! " Lily shouted as soon as he'd gone, groaning in frustration. She kicked the table as hard as she could, imagining that it was Jack, and then swore again, wincing in pain. Her eyes welled up with tears both at the pain from her foot but really the fact that Jack had gone and left them in it, just when she felt like the needed him the most.

She hopped from one foot to the other and closed her eyes tightly. " Bastard, bastard, bastard," she mumbled. She opened her eyes and the tears soon fell thick and fast, and she immediately tried to wipe them away with one hand but couldn't.

" He's gone," she sobbed, " the bastard's walked out on me. "

Tears continued to fall and neither Owen nor Ianto really knew what to do. Even Rhys looked over from where he was cooking and considered coming over to see what he could do to help.

Owen moved forwards first.

He extended his arms and enveloped her in them, pulling her up against him and wrapping her up safely before she collapsed, which he felt like she was in serious danger of doing.

" Hey sweetheart," he mumbled, smoothing down her hair as she clung to him, " don't worry about him. Or don't worry about your death threat to him, anyway. If he doesn't come back soon, I'll kill him myself. "

Lily continued to sob and Ianto rolled his eyes at Owen, who shrugged - he didn't know what to do. Lily kept on clinging to him and it seemed like she'd broken down.

Ianto and Rhys gathered around the computers and both looked at Owen encouragingly - they felt terrible for Lily, but didn't know how to help her.

" Hey," Owen said gently, after a few minutes of rubbing her back in silence, trying to comfort her, " come on, I'm sure he'll come back soon. It's all going to be alright. "

" But it's not," sniffed Lily, pulling back from him and looking up at him, " how is it going to be alright? All the kids in the world are being possessed, I can't get hold of my dad, my husband's gone all weird and closed off, we're on the run, I'm pregnant and I'm too scared to tell him, and I don't think he'll want it, and he's bloody disappeared! Tell me how that's going to be alright? "

" Hey, it will be," Owen said, nodding at her, " I know it doesn't seem like it, but it will be - this is Torchwood, we always go through difficlt things, and we always come out of it, don't we? "

Lily shook her head and tried to wipe away her tears.

" You're pregnant? " Rhys asked.

A fresh bout of tears came and Lily nodded but couldn't find any words. She tried to wipe away the tears, but Owen sighed and pulled her to him again, closing his arms around her.

" Come on sweetheart," he mumbled, " I'm sorry, I didn't mean to set you off again - I know it's not going to be alright, but we'll find a way to fix everything, really, we will. Shhh, sweetheart, let it all out. "

Lily clung to him and couldn't stop her tears. She sobbed against his chest and suddenly felt ten times more emotional than she ever had before - she cursed the foetus growing inside her and blamed it for her emotional state.

She didn't know how long she clung to him and sobbed against his chest, and she couldn't make sense of anything. Owen was like a rock and held her close and rubbed her back. Ianto noted with a slight amusement that Owen would never treat anyone else (other than Tosh) so tenderly. He'd never let anyone else see that soft side of him, and liked to keep it under wraps - Lily was an exception.

Once Lily had finally managed to calm down, she looked up at Owen, who kept his arms around her middle.

She sniffed and looked at him. She looked around and shook her head as she saw the distinct wet patch she'd left on his shirt. " I'm sorry that I got your shirt all wet," she said, patting at the place where she'd soaked through with her tears.

" Hey, what are friends for? " Owen shrugged, giving her arm a squeeze before letting go of her, " come on gorgeous, let's sit down, let me get you a drink, we'll have a think about all of this, yeah? "

Lily nodded but found it difficult to take a single step, and Owen pressed a hand to the small of her back and guided her towards the table where the computers were.

Lily sat on the edge of the table, and Owen sat down beside her.

From out of nowhere, Ianto appeared and handed Lily a glass of water, which she accepted gratefully. Ianto sat down at the computers as he did so, and Rhys folded his arms and stood in front of the other three.

" So," Rhys said awkwardly, looking at Lily, " I'd say congratulations but - "

He trailed off and Lily nodded, " Yeah, don't. I ... I don't know what's going on. "

Rhys opened his mouth but Lily held up her hand, " Please, don't," she said, frowning, " Gwen's pregnant, you're gonna have a baby - congratulations, really. But it's not the same for me and Jack - he won't want it. "

Rhys's eyes softened and he said, " I don't know. Jack might be a bit of a tosser, but he might suprise you. He needs to know. I ... I wasn't all for kids - not right away, but as soon as Gwen told me, it just felt right. "

Lily sighed, " I don't know what to do. "

" You'll figure it out," Owen said, " Jack's a great guy and he loves you - it'll work out. "

Lily scoffed as Ianto started tapping away at the computer, and said nothing.

" Listen," Owen said, touching her arm lightly, " you know you've always got me as a friend, don't you? " He hesitated and then swallowed before saying, " and if things don't go so well with Jack, then .. "

" Then what? " Lily asked, laughing a little.

Owen turned to look at her, deadly serious as their eyes met and he said, " Then you've got me. "

" Hardly the same thing, is it? " Lily scoffed, " not that I'm not grateful for your support, but - "

" I'm serious," Owen told her, " Jack messes this up, or rejects the baby - which he won't, I'm certain of it, but it he does - then I'll help you raise the kid. "

Lily stared at him, " Are you joking? " she demanded - the idea was absurbe and she asumed her friend was messing around to try and make her feel better.

" No, I'm not," replied Owen easily, " if it doesn't work out, then I'll help you. You can move in with me, or - or I ... I'll buy you a flat, and I'll help you bring up the baby. I'll be it's uncle or something. I mean, why not? I love you like a sister, and I ... I'll be there. "

Rhys, Ianto and Lily all stared at Owen.

Lily couldn't believe what she was hearing and she shook her head, completely taken aback. " Owen," she said, shaking her head, " Owen, that's so sweet, but it's ... completely ridiculous. I'm a married woman, and you've got a girlfriend. You ... you really haven't thought about this. You're not seriously commiting yourself to bringing up a kid that's not yours and not your fault. I'm going to have to face up to Jack at some point. "

" Yeah, well I'm here," Owen said.

" I know," Lily said, shaking her head, and then laughing as she gave him a little shove in the chest, " I'm sure Ianto's going to be for me too, but I don't hear him offering to be my baby's dad. I'm not expecting that kind of gesutre from anyone. "

Owen shrugged and as Lily drunk the rest of her water, she put the glass down on the table.

Ianto cleared his throat and nodded towards the computer screen, where he appeared to have discovered something very new and interesting. He shook his head as he gestured at the screen,

" Um, guys," he said, turning the screen around so that all four of them could look at it, " you really need to see this. "

The four of them gathered around the computer screen and watched the images in front of them. Ianto played them a clip from a news show and they watched a clip of kids from across the world.

This time, they weren't talking.

All of the children were standing still and pointing off into the air.

Lily frowned as she thought about it and tried to figure out what was going on. She sighed as she saw children being used again and she just wanted to know what was going on - they needed to find out very quickly, and Jack seemed to know something, but he'd run off. That was no good for them.

" What are they saying? " Rhys asked, as Ianto showed htem several different images - all of children pointing.

" Nothing," Ianto said, reading up some information on the side, " they're just pointing. It says all the children in America are pointing East, all the children in Europe are pointing west - "

Something suddenly struck Lily and she said, " It's us! They're pointing at us! " She perked up a little as she tried to think about it all.

" Pointing at Thames House by the sounds of it," Owen said, leaning over Ianto's shoulder to read the information.

Lily pulled her coat around her more tightly and looked at the door of the warehouse, " Come on," she said, " I've got a bad feeling about this - we need to check it out. "

Without hesitation, they all started towards the door. Lily's heels clip-clopped against the ground as she ran and she hurried out into the street, closely following Ianto, Rhys and Owen. The four of them stopped outside and looked all around.

Just as they got outside there was a shot of bright light, and the sight above them was something none of them had expected to see.

The clouds parted and a huge jet a fire shot down from the skies to the roof of Thames House. It was orange and like a huge jet of fire - it went straight through the roof of Thames House and it compeltely took Lily by suprise. She stared up at it and shook her head,

" What do we do? " Rhys shouted, shocked.

" Get back inside," Lily said, turning to the door of the warehouse, " get to the computers - we need to find out exactly what's going on. We need to know as much as possible. Get back inside. "

Ianto's expertise at finding information very quickly came in handy as he trawled the internet for some kind of sign about what was happening.

Lily bit her lip as she waited for Ianto to come up with something, and in the meantime, she pulled out her phone and tried desperately to contact her dad. She paced up and down as she tried to call him over and over, but it was no good.

" Here," Ianto said.

The others all gathered around the computers, and Ianto showed them a clip from the news channels. It showed footage that someone must have filmed on their mobile phone - it was in a park, and several children stood still, still pointing in the direction of Thames House, and they were chanting,

" We are here. We are here. We are here. "

" We are here? " Lily asked, shaking her head, " we need to get into Thames House - whatever's controlling the kids ... it's in Thames House! Ianto, see what we can get on the news channels, Owen - "

" Shall I get in touch with Tosh and Gwen? " he asked.

" Yes," she nodded.

" Here," Ianto said, a couple of minutes later, " look - BBC news. They're cordoning off the area around Thames House. " He switched channels and said, " ITV news - footage of Downing Street. UNIT representatives are arriving to meet with the Prime Minister. "

" Just when we need Jack," Lily said, clenching her fists, " I'm actually going to kill him when he gets back. He's going to regret the moment he walked out and left us in the dark. "

She watched Owen pull out his phone and dial a number, before lifting the phone to his ear.

He sat down on the edge of the table as he spoke, " Hello ... hey, Tosh, it's me ... yeah, yeah, we know ... how's it going? You OK? And Gwen, too? ... oh, shit, really? ... "

He moved the phone away from his ear to tell Lily, " They've got Clement MacDonald, but they're stuck in traffic - absolutely gridlocked. It's going to be a while before they get here. Could he hours. "

He put the phone back to his ear and said, " Yeah yeah, I'm still here babe ... " Lily watched as he sucked in a breath and glanced at her before telling Tosh, " ... well, that's the thing ... no, we're all alright ... but Jack's gone ... I don't know, I think he discovered something, realised something, and then he ran off ... " he bit his lip and then glanced at Lily awkwardly before saying, " I know, it's the last thing she needs right now. I know, I know, I'm going to kill him when he gets back here ... alright then ... will do ... see you soon babe. "

As he hung up, he shook his head at the three people he was with, " They're going to be a while. Gwen's fine, Rhys. Tosh asked after you, Lily, sends her love. "

Lily sighed and ran her hand through her hair, " There's nothing we can do until Tosh and Gwen get back here. Then we can question Clement, find out a bit more. And we wait to see if Lois will wear the contacts inside Thames House. "

Rhys nodded and looked wistfully over to the beans that he'd cooked.

Lily smiled weakly, " Go on," she said, " you go and dish the food up. It doesn't look like any of us are going anywhere soon - we might as well sit down, hadn't we? "

A long time seemed to pass and they didn't know what was going on.

There was no word from Jack, Tosh and Gwen were still stuck in traffic, and Lily couldn't get through to her dad - it had gotten to the stage where she'd angrily thrown the phone on the floor only to throw herself to her knees moments later to pick it up and check it was working, before trying to ring him again.

Lily was sitting on the sofa beside Owen, leant back with her knees drawn up to her chest and one hand on her head - she was starting to feel ill, and she shook her head and closed her eyes tightly.

" Lily? " Ianto asked, " do you want a glass of water, or something? "

Lily shook her head without opening her eyes and she then felt a hand on her arm.

" You really don't look so good - maybe you should get some fresh air," Owen suggested.

Lily felt her stomach making strange movements and she put her knees down and shook her head. She stood up, but stopped, feeling dreadful. She felt like she was going to fall over and she felt pathetic and weak.

She started towards the door,

" I'm going to be sick," she said, pulling a face.

She ran for the door and hurried around the corner until she saw something she could empty the contents of her stomach into. She found a big bin around the back of the wheelie bin and quickly threw off the lid, before kneeling down in front of it.

She sighed as she hung over the bin and she presed both hands against her stomach, waiting. She felt dreadful and she shook her head, cursing Jack for getting her pregnant and cursing herself for being stupid enough to get pregnant.

She suddenly jerked forwards and was promptly sick into the bin.

When she had finished, she coughed and spluttered and she felt a cool hand on her back.

" Ok sweetheart, you're ok," Owen said.

Lily shook her head, " Get back inside Owen, I don't want anyone to see me like this. "

" Don't be stupid," Owen laughed, rubbing her back in circles, " you're pregnant - it happens to all pregnant women, you're hardly the first. "

" I thought sickness was supposed to come in the morning," Lily sighed, rubbing at her flat stomach as she knelt there.

Owen shrugged, " In theory, but it actually happens at any time for a lot of women. And I don't exactly know how half time lord, half human babies develop, anyway, so I hope you know a little bit. "

Lily scoffed, " Yeah, right. "

" Hey, we'll figure it out," Owen told her, before she shook her head and leant over the bin again. He shushed her and rubbed her back and held her hair back for her.

When she turned back to him, feeling very embarrassed, she sighed, " If Jack doesn't reject me and this thing, then you can absolutely be its uncle. "

Owen smiled and stood up, offering his hand to her, " Come on," he said " let's get you back inside. I think I heard a car pull up - it sounds like Gwen and Tosh came back in the other way while we were out here. "

Lily took hold of his hand and allowed him to pull her to her feet and once she was stood up, they headed back inside. Lily looked pale and ill, and knew that anyone who knew her would take one look at her and know something was wrong, but assumed that it could be passed off as the situation they were currently in. She was, after all, exhausted and worried.

Lily glanced at Owen's watch - it was night now, and Jack had been gone four hours. She was petrified that something had happened to him.

As they came in the door of the warehouse, they saw Rhys, Gwen, Tosh, Ianto and a man they recognised from the files as being Clement MacDonald, stood in the middle of the room, talking.

They all stopped when they saw Owen and Lily reappearing.

Lily smiled weakly as she looked at Tosh and Gwen and she approached them, " You're both alright," she said, " good work out there, today. "

Tosh smiled and Lily pulled her friend into a hug as she reached her. Tosh smiled and hugged her back, and allowed herself to be pulled into a big warm hug by her boyfriend.

Gwen shook her head as she looked at Lily, " I'm sorry about Jack," she said, " I mean, I knew he was a bit of a flight risk, but ... I didn't think he'd run off. I ... I thought he'd ... I didn't think he'd dare run off and leave you. "

" Yeah, well me neither," sighed Lily, " but rest assured I'm going to murder him when he gets back. "

Tosh frowned, " You look bloody terrible," she told her friend.

Lily was suddenly unnverved by a loud sniffing noise and realised that it was coming from Clement. Clement, the old man, looked at her and sniffed up like a dog might do and he stared at her.

She bit her lip and took a step backwards, completely confused by him.

" You're not of this world," he said, shaking his head, eyes widening.

" True," Lily said.

He sniffed up again before raising his eyebrows, " And you're pregnant. There must be something in the water around here. "

Lily was shocked that he'd been able to tell and her eyes widened as she looked around the room. She realised this must have been how Gwen realised that she herself was pregnant, and Lily glanced around at the others in the room.

Gwen let out a little gasp as she looked at Lily, " You're ... you're pregnant too? "

Lily nodded silently.

Tosh let out a laugh and moved forwards to hug Lily enthusiastically, as Gwen also moved in and Tosh pulled her in for a kind of group hug.

" Congratulations! " Tosh said, beaming - neither she nor Gwen knew Lily's feelings on it and assumed that she'd love to have a baby.

" At least I won't be on my own, then! " Gwen said with a nervous laugh.

" I can't believe you didn't tell us sooner," Tosh said, " it's not like Jack to keep good news like that from the rest of us. I bet he's thrilled, isn't he? How far along are you? "

Lily glanced nervously at Owen who smiled encouragingly and said, " 6 weeks along. And ... and as for Jack, he doesn't know. I only found out myself yesterday, but I've suspected for ... for about two weeks. "

Tosh's smile faltered and she shook her head, " He doesn't know? "

" No," Lily confirmed, " and he's not going to find out yet. I need you to keep quiet - " she looked from Tosh to Gwen, " please, don't say anything to him. "

Tosh sighed, " Lily, what's going on? You've got to tell him! "

Lily shook her head, " I ... I just can't. I mean, I will do, at some point, but ... you don't understand, Tosh. He won't want it! He ... we can't have this baby. We catch aliens for a living, and he ... I don't think he'll want to be saddled with a kid. "

" Course he will," Tosh said, " he'll love it, once you tell him. "

Lily shook her head, " Please, just don't tell him. I'll tell him at some point but ... just not now. "

" Come on," Ianto said, " why don't we check the computers, see if Lois has put in the contact lenses? We need to see where he can get, don't we? We need to get into Thames House. "

As everyone gathered around the computers, Lily smiled gratefully at Ianto and everyone else realised that that conversation was over, so no-one pushed it.

They gathered around the computers and waited to see what would happen. As Ianto loaded up the computer, they all hoped that Lois would put in the Torchwood lenses and get them inside Thames House to find out some more information.

Nothing happened for a few moments, and no-one really knew what their next move could be, until the computer screen suddenly sprang to life.

" Online," Tosh said, taking a seat beside Ianto at the computer and leaning forward to take control of the keyboard, " she's doing it. "

" Ah, good girl," Lily said, " that's exactly what we need. "

Gwen smiled a little, " I knew she'd come through for us. "

Tosh set the programme going and on the screen, those in the warehouse could see exactly what Lois could see. On the screen they watched Lois looking in a mirror at the contact lenses, apparently in some toilets.

Tosh typed out "Thank you" and sent it so that it would appear on the bottom of Lois' contact lenses for her to read.

Lois replied, and the lip reading software on the programme gave those in the warehouse her reply "Oh god, don't do so much of that. is that you Gwen? Or Mrs Harkness? What's going on?"

" It's Tosh" Tosh typed back while Lily watched from where she stood at her shoulder.

"Right then, good luck" Lois said.

Lois started out of the toilets and they watched her walk through the corridors of Thames House. She seemed to have adapted to the contact lenses rather quickly, and Rhys looked around at them all and said,

" Took me a while to get used to those things. "

" You've used them? " Ianto asked Rhys, suprised.

Gwen shrugged, blushing, " I took them home once for a bit of fun. "

" Fun? " Ianto repeated.

" You know, fun," Rhys nodded.

Lily smirked a little, running her hand through her hair, " Well, fair enough, we've all tried that, haven't we? "

Owen tutted and rolled his eyes, after flicking his eyes to her stomach and back, " No wonder you're in the situation that you are. "

" Hey! " Lily protested, slapping his arm jokingly, before pointing at the computer screen, " you should be watching this, never mind teasing me. "

They watched Lois get into a lift, and a tall, thin man got in behind her. His hair was dark and greying and he wore thick glasses.

" That's him, isn't it? " Lily said, pointing at the man.

Ianto nodded, " That's John Frobisher. "

They watched as Lois went through the corridors and Lily bit her lip, knowing that this was the moment, when the lift reached the top floor of Thames House.

Lois walked into a room, and they saw that the room was mostly big and empty except for two things - at one end was a long table with all sorts of representatives behind it and important people, and at the other end of the room was something far more suprising.

It was a huge glass tank which seemed to be filled with smoke of steam.

" What the hell _is _that? " Owen breathed.

" Some sort of tank," Gwen mumbled.

" There's something living inside that smoke, I'm sure of it," Lily said, " whatever's behind all of this - it's in there. "

They watched Lois pull out a notebook and Tosh typed "Get closer"

Lois did as she was told and moved a little closer, trying to award them a better view - all Lily wanted right now was to find out what was going on, and put an end to all of this, and they were in Thames House - they were so close to finding something out.

" Clem! " Gwen called, looking over her shoulder for the old man, who was stood some way off, " come over here, it can't hurt you, it's really a few miles away. What do you think? Anything you've seen before? "

Clem moved over slowly and stared at the screen, " Is that what tried to take me? Whatever's in that tank. "

" Probably," Lily nodded.

They watched on the screen as Frobisher moved closer to the tank and stopped in the middle of the room. He started talking, but they couldn't see his mouth and therefore couldn't hear hwat he was saying.

" Tell her we need his mouth," Lily said, narrowing her eyes as she looked at the screen - she was getting into this and was desperate to know what was going on.

Tosh typed that out and the next thing they knew, Lois had edged around the side of the room so that they could get a good view of Frobisher's mouth and find out what was going on.

Frobisher said, " According to the rules of the protocol established in 1960, I must ask you to state whether these greetings are accepted. Do you understand me? I repeat, according to the - "

Frobisher suddenly broke off and Lily and the others knew that there was a reply, but couldn't hear it.

" Bloody brilliant," Lily sighed, " the alien's not got a mouth - we can't hear it. "

Tosh nodded and typed a reply "Can't hear alien"

Lois seemed to take note of this as she wrote something on her notebook and looked down at it so that those watching in the warehouse could see what the alien's response had been - Yes.

Gwen tutted, " This is a nightmare. Where's Jack when you need him? "

" I don't know, but he's going to get murdered when he comes back," Lily said, gritting her teeth.

Suddenly, there was movement on the screen. Whatever was in the tank emitted a loud screeching noise and there was a loud splatter as the most disgusting looking green gooey liquid hit the tank, splattering out everywhere.

Clem jumped back several steps in horror and Lily winced - it wasn't a pretty sight and she laid a hand over stomach - when she wasn't feeling too good to begin with , that was hardly the thing she felt that she needed to see.

"What's it doing?" Lois wrote.

"God Knows" Tosh typed in response.

" Are you alright? " Frobisher asked the tank, " I'm sorry, but I can't help being concerned. Is there a problem? Do you want me to continue? You see, in the spirit of co-operation, we have a formal request to make. We ask you not to use our children for communication, in case certain parties or territories might consier it a violation. Is that acceptable? "

They were all on tenterhooks and Lily bit her lip nervously, waiting for an answer. She prayed that the aliens would leave the kids alone - kids were sacred, and anything involving harming or possessing kids was wrong and sinister.

" Yes" Lois wrote.

Lily let out a sigh of relief and found that she wasn't the only one - all of them looked at each other and sort of nodded at each other, before turning back to the computers.

Lily found herself almost holding her breath as she watched the screen.

Frobisher was talking to the tank again, " As a gift and a welcome to the world, we've prepared a document summarising our culture and history. The document can be made available to you immediately, though its format remains undetermined - said format remains of your choosing. It has been asked, though, why the 456 chose Great Britain as its destination. "

" 456," Lily mumbled, " that must be what they call the alien. "

They watched as Lois wrote something down on the notebook - the response of the alien, the 456 "We came here, you have no significance, you are little men."

" That's a lie, isn't it? " Gwen said, glancing at Clem " they've been here before. It's why its come back now. "

" It's Frobisher," Ianto deduced, " he's got that thing to lie for him - they're on the same side. Whatever happened in the past, they're hiding it. "

"We require a gift" Lois wrote.

" Gift? " Owen asked, eyebrows raised, as Lily shushed him and pointed at the screen when Frobisher opened his mouth.

Frobisher nodded, " Of course, but what nature of gift, exactly? A gift, gladly, but what do you want? "

There was suddenly more spluttering against the tank, and Lily winced again as she watched it. They all waited for a response, and the 456 replied - Lois wrote it down.

" We want your children. We will take your children. "

" Children? " Lily echoed quietly, feeling sick to the stomach - the aliens wanted ... the children? What would they do with them? Why would they possibly need the kids?

" What for, what do they want them for? " Owen demanded, while everyone thought the same thing.

Lily felt confused and wondered if they'd actually heard that right - that couldn't possibly be right - the aliens wanted the children?

Clem suddenly started to rock backwards and forwards and he whimpered as he did so. He put his hands on his head and shook from side to side,

" They want to take them! " Clement moaned, while Lily leaned forward and tried to listen to the rest of the goings on on the screen, " like they did before! Like the man did! "

Gwen shushed him gently, but they all felt a new atmosphere building up in the warehouse. Clement must be feeling seriously upset if the alien was having this effect on him, and they all knew something was seriously wrong.

Lily held her breath as she waited to see what was going on on the screen, but couldn't hear anything because of the noise and chaos that Clement was making - all eyes turned to Clem and his face scrunched up with pain as he shook his head and moaned in despair.

He suddenly sniffed up loudly and gasped, " He's coming back! The man - he's coming back! "

Lily couldn't figure out what was making him so worked up - who was coming back? The man who had taken Clement away? Where was he? _Who _was he?

" Wait," Gwen tried to shush him, " let's just listen to the screen, shall we? "

Clement stood up and shook his head, wrapping his arms around himself and groaning- no-one knew what to do, and Gwen was the one to stand up and try and comfort him.

" No, he's coming, he's coming! " exclaimed Clement, looking around with wide panicking eyes, " he's here! "

The door suddenly banged open and Lily almost jumped out of her skin. It was dark and shadowy in the doorway, and a figure strode out of the shadows.

The look on his face was cold and hard and he seemed upset - he simply stared straight forwards, and something terrible must have been on his mind. But Lily didn't notice and all she thought of when she saw him was the mixture of relief and happiness that he was back, but the fury that he'd dared ot run off and leave them all in the lurch in the first place.

Silence fell around the warehouse as everyone looked at Jack, and Lily strode towards him.

Everyone assumed that she was going to hug him - even Owen and Ianto, who'd been with her all day and all of the previous day and knew exactly how she'd been feeling, and knew how upset she'd been and how angry she was with him, expected her to hug him.

Lily strode towards Jack and barely felt aware of what she was doing as she stopped in front of him. He looked down at her - he didn't say anything or do anything, and he seemed to be in some kind of trance as he struggled to register what was going on around him.

Without even thinking about her actions, she swung her arm back, and the palm of her hand collided sharply with his cheek, making his face snap across to one side.

She was breathing heavily and watched, her eyes dark and narrowed, as he rubbed a hand to his cheek and slowly straightened up, taking her step closer to her as he looked down at her - he was playing strong and silent, and she continued to breath deeply as she didn't know what to do.

The rest of team, behind her, watched her in shock - none of them had expected that. Behind her, she could hear Clement making small whimpering noises and Gwen trying to calm him, but she blocked it all out.

" You bastard," Lily said, glaring up at him and reaching out to shove him in the chest, " you absolute bastard! You just walked out and left us! "

Jack sighed but didn't reply and let her let it all out - after what he'd discovered and realised in the alst few hours, he didn't have any energy to fight back, and he knew she was right.

Lily sighed and felt herself getting more and more angry. After pushing him backwards, she took a step forwards to follow him and then gripped hold of his jacket with her fists,

" What the hell did you think you were playing at? " she demanded, " you just walked out and left us all sitting here - we're on the bloody run! You can't do that to us! You could have at least answered your phone! Do you have any idea how worried I was about you? You could have been killed, or captured or anything, and I wouldn't have known about it! You just left me sitting here worrying about you, and panicking! Don't you know how much stress you've caused me - stress isn't good for me right now, Jack! God, I'm so angry I could kill you! "

" Are you quite finished? " Jack asked quietly, looking down at her - he figured that letting her let it all out was the best thing he could do, and he knew he absolutely deserved it.

" Not really," Lily said, groaning in frustration and slapping at his chest, " I'm just so bloody angry that I can't form any more sentences right now! "

Jack seized hold of both of her forearms as she moved to hit his chest again with her fists and he held her forearms tightly as he looked at her.

When her anger died down and she stopped to look at him properly, she noticed that his eyes were full of tears and her anger was very quickly replaced by confusion and intruige.

" I'm so sorry," Jack said, his face grim and his eyes full of tears as he had to face the woman who adored him and trusted him, " I'm sorry, baby, really I'm so sorry. "

" Why? What's going on? " Lily asked, as he still kept hold of her and she scanned his face for some kind of sign.

Jack sighed and leaned down to her. She found that he was so irresistable that even when she was supposed to be angry, she couldn't resist his advances, and he leaned in and pressed his lips to hers lightly - the kiss had a sense of urgency and desperation to it, and she kissed back with much more force than usual.

When they broke apart, Lily looked up at him, " Come on now," she said, " what's going on? You ran off, so you can at least do me the courtesy of telling me what was so important. "

Jack shook his head and let go of her arms, gently but absent mindedly nudging her aside as he looked at Clement and stuffed his hands deep into his pockets.

The tears in Jack's eyes were becoming more and more evident, and he held them back as he faced Clement. Clement was now breathing deeply and he stared at Jack as if he was looking at a monster.

" He's the same, he's the same," Clement said, as Gwen continued to try and soothe him, but it had little effect, " all this time, how can he be the same? "

" What's he talking about? " Gwen asked, looking at Jack.

" Clement MacDonald," Jack said, shaking his head as he stood rooted to the spot and Lily and every other person in the room stared at him, trying to figure it out. Whatever was troubling him was going to be immense, and it was going to spark so much trouble for them - the tension had built up so much that everyone knew something terrible was about to happen, " it was just another name. It was easier if you didn't know the names. "

Lily's eyes widened as she realised what he might be trying to say, " You were there? The first time the 456 came? In 1965? "

" He was the man," Clement whispered, " the one who came to take us away - the one who took us from the home and tried to give us away. "

" No," Lily whispered, unable to believe it. Her gaze turned from Clement to Jack and Jack seemed to be looking anywhere but at Lily. Lily started to come to a horrific realisation.

" No," Gwen agreed, rubbing Clement's arm, " you must have it wrong. This is what he does, you see? He fights aliens, he isn't one of them. Right, Jack? "

" No," Jack said simply.

Lily took a deep breath and managed to force out the question, " Then what were you _doing _there? "

Jack was still looking anywhere other than at Lily - he couldn't face her and he replied, " I gave them the kids. In 1965, I gave the 456, 12 children. "

" What for? " demanded Owen, as everyone stared at Jack in horror.

Lily couldn't believe what she'd just heard and she swayed a little on the spot - she couldn't believe it at all and she felt like she was about to collapse with the shock of it right there and then. Her mouth fell open slightly and she covered it with her hand, staring at Jack.

" As a gift. "

* * *

**Author's Note: This chapter took a while because I really wanted to get Lily's emotional state right, between being worried about the pregnancy and Jack, and trying to find out what's happening, and being furious when finding out about what he did in 1965.**

**Let me know if there was anything you particularly liked or what you thought of the chapter - not too sure what I think of it myself. I think I've developed a particular like for Owen and Lily friendship however.**

**As for Lily's pregnancy, I had originally been pretty sure that I'd write the story so she had a miscarriage, but I'm now really leaning towards her having the baby - there's so much despair in this that I think a baby would be the silver lining in the whole thing - they're a stable couple and they'd be able to manage it, i think a miscarriage might be too much drama.**

**Let me know what you think about that and if you've got any ideas surrounding the pregnancy and the development of the baby and ideas for when its born or anything you'd like to suggest at all, and of course, anything you thought about the chapter. **


	8. Day Four Part One

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

Chapter Eight

Lily was rooted to the spot and she couldn't move as she stared at her husband. This was the man she loved and she thought she knew inside out and now he told her this.

Something so huge and horrific, and his actions repulsed her - giving away children. But she felt even more horrified that he'd never told her - she thought he hold her all the big things like that - giving away children, how had he never told her about it?

" You," she started, shaking her head, her voice barely above a whisper, " you gave away 12 children? Y-you just handed them over? "

" It wasn't like that," Jack said, the expression on his face one of pain and anguish as he tried to explain to his wife, above everyone else, and realised he was going to have to face up to what he'd done.

" Then how was it? " she managed to ground out, through gritted teeth.

Jack shook his head, " Lily I wasn't ... I mean, I didn't ... the 456 got in touch - I was just drafted in to help. They said that in a matter of months the world would be overtaken by an influenza epidemic - millions upon millions would die. And they had the antidote - they wanted 12 children in exchange for the antidote. "

" You just handed them over and hoped for the best," Lily said, a statement rather than a question, her voice still impossibly quiet as she couldn't make any sense of what was going on. She could barely look at Jack, and she was beginning to feel that she hadn't known him at all - this one little thing seemed to overturn everything.

Clement was breathing deeply and started to shudder and shake. He made a small whimpering noise and Gwen tried to calm him, her arm around his shoulders and she rubbed at his arm.

" You," Clement said, his voice rising quickly in volume, as he pointed a shaky finger at Jack, " are in every nightmare I've ever had. "

Jack shook his head, eyes still holding tears, " I'm sorry, I'm really sorry. "

Clement took advantage of Gwen's good nature and kindness and managed to take her gun from her back pocket while she was distracted in comforting him. He pointed the gun at Jack, and Jack saw it coming before anyone else did.

Lily was still standing just in front of him, while the rest of those in the room stood several feet away, including Clement. Jack looked at Clement over Lily's shoulder and as he watched the man raise the gun, acted quickly and pushed her out of the way.

She was completely shocked, because she hadn't seen Clement raise the gun and she stumbled to the side, staggering from the suprising force of his push when she hadn't been expecting it, and quickly caught her footing and stopped herself from falling over.

She heard the loud gunshot, and silence fell all around them.

Lily turned around to see Jack lying flat on his back on the floor, a wound in his chest, and blood surrounding the wound and dirtying his shirt. Lily winced and stared at Jack's body, but she couldn't bring herself to get to his side - she loved him, but she was so shocked that she couldn't bring herself to put her arms around him or even look at him.

She became oblivious to anything that was happening behind her or around her, and she stared at Jack's body - she couldn't think straight and this was the last thing she'd expected.

She jumped a little in suprise as she felt a hand on her arm and she looked around into Owen's concerned face. He squeezed her arm and she stared at him with wide eyes.

" Are you okay? " Owen asked in concern, eyes flickering down to her stomach and back up, before looking her up and down.

Lily shook her head, finally managing to string some words together, " It was only a little shove - I'm fine, he didn't hurt me. As for everything else ... well, of course I'm not alright. "

Owen nodded but kept his hold on her arm, and the next thing, she turned around to look at the others.

" Give me the gun, Clem," Gwen ordered, moving in on him while Ianto and Tosh flanked her.

" Sat away! " Clement ordered, " you're on his side - you're all on the same side. You're all involved! "

Lily was watching but felt herself drifting off into a trance again - this was the last thing she needed and she didn't know how to cope with any of it. She was disgusted that that had ever happened in the first place, but even more hurt that he'd never told her. It felt like she didn't know him - she thought he wa a good man, but to have done something like this, and then hide it from her, was unthinkable.

She looked down at his blood stained body as Gwen tried to coax the gun from an emotional Clement, and she stepped closer to him.

She didn't feel like she had any control over her actions and she gently pulled her arm from Owen's loose grasp and sunk to her knees beside Jack. She looked at him, and she was so furious that she could barely look at him, yet she was worried about him, and needed him to come back to life - he'd got them into this mess, so he could damned well get them out of it, she thought.

She reached out and laid her hand on his shoulder as he lay unconcious, and she looked down at him - she wanted to kill him, yet she wanted to know more about it - she needed to know what was going on. And what was so wrong with their relationship that he hadn't told her about this so long ago.

" Move Gwen, he's dangerous! " Rhys told Gwen, shaking his head.

" I - " Clement started, his hand shaking as he still held the gun, now waving it around.

" No, you're not dangerous, we know you're not," Gwen said in a soft soothing voice, " we know that, we know. "

" But that's a lie, isn't it? " Clement demanded loudly, " isn't it? We both know - I ... I killed a man. I am dangerous. "

He was still shaking, but he held the gun out to Gwen, his anger dying down in favour of fear. Gwen sensed that he'd given up and she'd be able to comfort him, and she smiled a little, " Can I take that? " she asked gently, reaching for the handle of the gun.

Clement allowed her to take it, and she took it and handed it to Ianto, who slowly put it down on the table nearby, but out of anyone's reach.

" Ok, that's good," Gwen nodded, taking Clem into a hug, and trying once again to soothe him.

As she did so, silence fell around the warehouse, other than Gwen's soothing noises to Cement, and Lily's deep breathing as she knelt beside Jack, hanging over him - she wanted to know that he was alright, but she was so angry with him.

Owen hovered nearby by Lily and he, Ianto, Tosh and Gwen were having similar feelings about jack - they were horrified that he could ever have given children away, but wanted to know why, and how he could possibly have done it.

Owen looked back at Ianto and Tosh and caught Ianto's eye. Ianto glanced at Lily, and Owen shrugged - he and Ianto had formed an even deeper bond with her in the past couple of days, the three of them running away together, protecting each other, and Ianto himself feeling much more protective of Lily than he ever had before.

But neither of them knew what to do - no-one did.

Clement was the one to break the silence, as he looked up to the skies, " There's something up there," he said, " those aliens - they don't want children. That man there held my hand and took me to them. "

Jack suddenly gasped loudly and sat up, coming back to life with a huge gaping gasp, gripping hold of Lily for support as he did so.

Lily frowned in disgust and her automatic reaction was to promptly wrench her arm from his grasp and throw his hand off hers in disgust.

" You're lucky I haven't bloody killed you myself," she said quietly, calmly, before getting to her feet slowly, looking down at him with an expression of disgust.

Clement screamed in shock and stared at Jack in horror before squealing and screaming again, and running to the other side of the warehouse, trying to get away from it all.

Lily was breathing deeply and she felt so betrayed.

She felt Owen's hand on her arm from one side and Ianto seemed to appear out of nowhere as he came up on her other side and laid his hand on her shoulder gently. She felt grateful for both of their precenses, and they were only too willing to lend their support. All they could do was stick together.

" Lily," Jack said, getting to his feet slowly, " baby, you've got to listen to me. "

" No," she said, turning her back on him and trying to remain calm.

" Lily," Jack repeated urgently, speaking to the back of her head as both Owen and Ianto flanked her like two protective bodyguards, " please, listen to me - I need to explain it all to you. "

" I can't listen to you right now," she mumbled, shaking her head.

" Lily! " Jack said impatiently, walking around so that he was stood in front of her when it became evident that she wasn't going to turn around to face him. Owen and Ianto turned too and Owen folded his arms and he glared hostily at Jack.

Lily sighed - she'd never expecting anything like this to happen, and she couldn't bring herself to meet his eyes. It was all too much for her.

" Lily," Jack said, reaching out to touch her arm, though she took a step back, " please, just look at me, or at least ... don't pull away from me like that, I can't bear it. Just look at me. "

Lily finally met his eyes, and when she did, he saw that hers were full of unshed tears that she refused to use on him. Words failed her and she could do nothing but stare at her husband, wondering who he was - why he han't told her, but half afraid of finding out the answers.

She felt totally numb inside and she simply stared into his eyes.

She was in total shock.

" Come on guys," Jack said, turning his attention from Lily to Ianto and Owen, looking from one to the other, " can't I have a moment to talk to my wife? "

" You don't deserve her," Owen said coldly.

" Do you think I don't already know that? " Jack said cooly, " come on - move. "

Ianto and Owen eventually did as they were asked, though both were reluctant to do so. They joined Tosh and Rhys a couple of metres away, leaving Lily to look up at Jack. The pair of them stood in silence and Lily wrapped her arms around her upper body, almost hugging herself as she looked at him, hurt.

He couldn't bear to see the look in her eyes, but neither of them knew what to say to make this any better.

" I ... " Lily started, trying to find some words, anything to convey how she was feeling right now, " I can't believe you didn't mention this before," she said, finally meeting his eyes.

Jack looked back at her, his eyes just as watering as hers, " They didn't speak through kids before - I didn't recognise the signs at first. "

" That's not what I meant," Lily said.

He knew exactly what she meant, but he didn't have a response - he knew he should have told her at some point, but he could never bring himself to - he thought it would hurt her far too much.

Her eyes bore into his and they shared a long look during which he tried to find a response, but couldn't think of the right words. Instead, he looked at her, hoping she'd forgive him, though he knew there was little chance right away.

Before Lily could say anything else, Rhys stepped closer to Lily and Jack and destroyed the moment by saying, " Gwen and Clement are coming back over. "

Lily nodded and took a step back from Jack.

She looked away from him, casting her eyes down to the floor and folding her arms, wrapping them around her body. She kept glancing at him, but she couldn't think straight and she didn't know what to do or what to think.

Gwen and Clement walked over to them rather slowly, and Tosh, Ianto and Owen closed in too, so that all of them were gathered around together, waiting to make their next move.

Clement looked at Jack, finding it difficult to look at him, but eventually managing to look at him, " The man who sent me my orders to die," he said slowly, " can't die himself. "

Jack blinked, trying to blink away the tears that were forming in his eyes. He didn't allow any of them to fall and he turned his back on everyone.

There was silent amongst them, and Lily cleared her throat,

" Jack? " she said quietly, meaning to say something - anything - about how it didn't matter, or how they'd get through it, but she couldn't.

" Yeah? " Jack replied.

The words stuck in her throat, and she looked down at his bloodied shirt, " Go get changed - you're not hanging around here covered in blood. "

Jack looked at her, like he'd been wanting to say something else, but intead, he nodded and turned away. He glanced over his shoulder at her as he walked away, but she'd turned her back on him and didn't want to face him.

" Lily," Tosh said from her side somewhere.

Lily shook her head, " Please," she said, " I can't listen to any of it. "

Tosh nodded and laid her hand on Lily's shoulder - Lily felt sort of numb inside and said nothing as she thought about it all. She couldn't make sense of any of it and she felt compeltely betrayed. She didn't know what to do or what to say, and in the middle of all of it, they had to face the 456 and she had her impending pregnancy to think about.

She closed her eyes and frowned. She could hear the others somewhere behind her, but no-one was making much noise or doing much of anything.

They sat in silence for what felt like forever, before Lily heard quiet footsteps beside them, yet it was the only sound in the room.

She turned around and looked at him. He was looking at her, and her eyes bore into hers - they kept their gaze fixed on each other, but neither of them said anything. Jack cleared his throat awkwardly and looked away - he didn't feel worthy enough to look into her eyes.

The others in the warehouse didn't know what to do or what to say, and Gwen was the first one to speak up and voice what she was feeling - everyone was struggling to come to terms with it.

" So it was a protection racket," Gwen said, " you must have known that they'd come back. "

Jack sighed, " I knew that it was a possibility. "

" Yet you still gave them the pay off," Gwen said accusingly, while the others looked on, no-one happy.

" We had no choice," Jack said simply.

" Liar," Clement muttered.

Something in Lily snapped and she glared at Jack, " You had every choice! " she snapped at him, standing up from where she sat on the table and taking a step forwards.

" I - " Jack started.

" No! " Lily said, cutting him off. As she took another step closer to him and he saw the angry look on her face, she reminded him immensley of her father - always so moral and so angry at injustice towards humans and aliens alike.

Jack didn't dare interrupt her - his wife was scary when she wanted to be.

Lily told him, " Everything we do is a choice! Don't you _dare _tell me that you didn't have a choice, becuase that's a load of rubbish. Don't you dare! " She took a deep breath and told him in a much calmer voice, " You _had _a choice. "

A short silence fell and Jack cleared his throat, he didn't dare challene Lily, but they all had to understand what was going on.

" You wouldn't be missed," he told Clement in an attempt to explain it somewhat, " you had no-one. "

" I can see that," Clement said.

Jack struggled as he tried to continue and he said calmly, " All this time, the one consolation I had, was that the deal seemed to work. "

" Well," Rhys said fairly, " it worked for 44 years. That's not bad breathing space. "

Clement sniffed up harshly, " Why was I left behind, though? What's wrong with me? "

" Nothing," Lily said quickly, throwing another glare in Jack's direction.

Gwen nodded at Clement, " That's right - nothing. We know that they only want pre-pubescent kids. Maybe it's got something to do with that - maybe you were just on the cusp on puberty, not quite adult, not quite child. "

It was the early hours of the morning now, and in the next moment of silence, they heard a noise on the computer. Lily looked around at it - she's completely forgotten that it was filming and she looked at Tosh,

" This is still recording? " she asked.

Tosh nodded and moved towards the computer. She sat down in front of it and started clicking away, " We need access," she said.

" Lois has got us in? " Jack asked, moving forwards.

" You've have known that if you hadn't run out on us when we needed your help," Owen said coldly, as everyone gathered around the computer to watch what was going on.

Lily glanced at Owen and laid her hand on his arm - he looked at her and they shared a quick look, which he took to understand as her asking him not cool off and not say anything to Jack now. She was furious with him, but she couldn't be bothered with the sniping and wanted to get on with it and solve what was going on here.

On the screen, they watched John Frobisher adressing the 456 again, after their request for children.

" Hello again," Frobisher said, " before we consider your request, I have been asked for a point of clarification. Before we even discuss your request we need to know exactly what it is that you intend to do with the children. "

Lily winced, wondering what the hell anyone could want with children - what they'd wanted with them the first time, and how they could get out of this.

" Somebody is watching," Ianto read, as Lois wrote it on her notebook to show them, since the 456 had no mouth for them to lipread. " Some remnant. "

" It knows I'm here," gasped Clement.

The 456 seemed to be reacting badly and splattered against the side of the tank, creating a green gooey mess about the side of the tank, amd making Lily wince and pull a face, resisting the urge to lay a hand on her stomach and soothe herself - she didn't want to give anything away.

" It knows, it knows," Clement said frantically, " turn if off! "

" It doesn't know," Lily said cooly, pointing at a camera set up in the corner of the room in Thames House, " it means the other camera. "

As if to confirm this, Frobisher, on screen, said, " The prime minister of the UK is watching through this camera here, and he needs to know what would happen to our children if we were to hand them over to you. "

" It is off the record? " was the reply of the 456.

There was tension all around the people gathered around the screen, watching. " Yes," Frobisher replied.

" Come in," the 456 commanded.

" Come in? " Ianto echoed, as everyone stared at the screen.

" In there? " Frobisher asked, equally stunned.

" With your camera," the 456 responded, " come in. "

" It's hiding something," Clement said quietly.

As Frobisher walked off to the side of the room and disappeared into a small crowd of people, as those in Thames House considered this and made arrangements, those in the warehouse looked around at each other.

" What's in there? " Owen sighed in frustration.

" We'll find out," Lily said.

" You don't think they'll give them the kids, do you? " asked Tosh, worried.

Lily didn't reply - it was too much to think about. Giving children away to aliens - god knows what would have happened to the children who'd been taken and she didn't know what the hell they could do to stop this.

" Lily? " Tosh prompted, " you ... you dont think they'll - "

" I dont know," replied Lily, " if they did before, they could again. "

" But this isn't the 60s," Ianto said, " surely they can't just ... give kids away. "

" I don't _know," _Lily said, " they've got so much power, and if they did it before, they ... " she sighed and ran her hand through her hair.

" We wont let them," Jack said.

Lily looked at him briefly but found that she couldn't look at him. " Shut up, Jack," she said, as she looked away from him. She didn't know if she was being too harsh now, but she just didn't know what to do or what to say.

That ended the conversation, and they stood in silence for a few minutes before there was more action on the screen again.

They watched as a man in a full protective suit was sent into the tank. The man was holding a camera and stepped into the tank - Lily bit down on her lip as she watched what was going on.

She was almost holding her breath as she tried to figure out what was going on - it was fascinating and she wracked her brains to try and remember if she'd ever seen anything like it ever before.

The inside of the tank was wet and misty, and all had a dank, green tinge to it. It looked terrible and could only be the home of a monster. The man turned around in the tank and almost leapt back when he saw something up close - it was some sort of big gooey thing with snarling teeth.

" Jesus," Owen mumbled, while Gwen shook her head and tried not to look at it.

Lily couldn't say anything - an overwhelming sense of foreboding filled her and she knew that something terrible was about to happen. Her skin tingled and she could feel something building up - her instincts were rarely wrong and she just knew something bad was just around the corner.

The camera turned around and suddenly came to a halt - the something terrible was revealed.

Sitting in the corner of the tank was a child, but it was like no children ever seen. It was pale and deformed, its face hooked up to wires, the veins in its face sticking out and its eyes wide and bugging out.

Lily could hardly believe what she was seeing, and tears welled up in her eyes all of a sudden - the child was deformed and was being used by the aliens, and she didn't think she'd ever seen anything so terrible.

" No, no, no! " Clement said, shaking his head and gripping his hair.

Tears rolled down Lily's cheeks and she made no effort to wipe them away, but she also made no noise - she cried for that child, and all of the children who'd been taken. She needed to look away, but she couldn't stop watching the screen.

She shook her head and turned her back on the screen. Everyone else was having similar reactions, and Lily found that she wasn't the only one shedding tears or having the tears well up.

Lily didn't make an effort to hide it this time, as she wrapped both arms around her body, hugging her torso to herself and feeling her flat stomach beneath her arms - the children were being treated like this, and she couldn't just stand by. She thought of her own unborn child and suddenly felt very protective of it - this was still a life.

" It's one of the kids from 1965," Owen whispered.

Lily nodded and glanced at Jack, who was staring at the screen, struggling to come to terms with it.

" He's still just a child," Jack gasped.

" Do you think he knows? " Rhys asked, as upset as everyone else, " is he conscious? "

No-one knew the answer and the child looked into the camera that the man held. He looked straight down the camera and Lily looked into the child's face. The tears continued to fall and all she wanted to do was save that child and every child in the world.

" What have they done to it? " Lily whispered, reaching out towards the screen with one hand as if she could reach out to the child.

The image on the screen was blurry and Tosh mumbled, " Lois - she's crying. "

" Can you blame her? " Lily said, as she felt a hand on her shoulder - Owen's familiar comforting hand. His other hand was holding Tosh's, and Lily felt grateful for the support although it didn't actually make her feel any better.

" What have you done to it? " came Frobisher's angry voice.

The 456 started reacting badly, and the thing inside snapped and snarled at the man with the camera. There was chaos while the man was rushed out and quickly got out of the tank while the 456 rebelled, hissed, snarled and splattered goo and gunk at the side of the tank.

It started to speak and they watched on the screen - its voice was getting higher and higher and it was like a broken record - they couldn't hear exactly what it was saying, and Lois was too distracted to write it down and transcribe for them.

" This is unacceptable," whispered Frobisher, staring straight at the tank when the 456 seemed to have calmed.

Lois wrote down the response of the 456 and showed it to them, " We do not harm the children. They feel no pain. They live long beyond their years. "

" So that makes it ok, doesn't it," Lily said coldly, still wrapping her arms around herself as she stared at the screen.

" But we still don't know what it does with them," jack said, " what does it want them for? "

" Bit late to ask that now," Ianto said, glancing sideways at Jack, whose face immediately fell, even further than it had been before. This had to be an all time low.

The response of the 456 came, " We have answered your question, you have one day to select and deliver the ten percent of all the children on earth. "

" No," Lily whispered, horrified, " no, they can't - that's millions! They ... no. "

" And if we refuse? " Frobisher asked.

" Then we will wipe out your entire species. "


	9. Day Four Part Two

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

Chapter Nine

" They can't do that," Owen said immediately, " they can't do that, can they? "

The transmission on the screen went dead, presumably as those in the room at Thames House left the room to consider what they were going to do, or to make arrangements for it.

" I hate to say it," Ianto said, his voice dull, " but they're in power. They're the government - there's a lot they can do. "

Gwen and Tosh both nodded, and it seemed like there was nothing they could do about it - everyone stood together in silence, thinking about how terrible the situation was, and Lily looked around at them all.

Everyone looked so resigned, and Lily knew that if she couldn't get hold of her dad, then this was all that she could do. She could lead the team and force them to get through this, whether she was falling apart or not.

" Yeah," she said, raising her voice and looked around, " there's a lot that they can do, but they can't beat us. "

" But what - " started Gwen, only to trail off when she saw the look on Lily's face - she could tell that Lily was leading to something, and she knew it would do them all some good to listen.

Lily continued, " It's our job to protect against alien invasion, and that is exactly what we're going to do. When have we ever let anything put us off? We've made it this far, and we're going to make sure that every child of Earth is saved from those aliens and the despicable people at the government stopped from giving them away. This will not be a repeat of 1965. "

A moment of silence followed as everyone exchanged looks at Lily's confident words. Jack folded his arms and didn't take his eyes from his wife - she was a wonder, he always thought. In the face of such difficulty, she could still take charge and get past everything to fix it.

" But how can you be so sure? " Tosh asked quietly, glancing at the now-blank screen.

Lily allowed a slight smile to cross her lips and she briefly glanced at Jack before telling Tosh and the others, " Because we are Torchwood. Outside the government. Beyond the police, right? We can do this. "

Owen was the first one to smile a little, and the others followed. Slowy they felt some kind of unity and confidence build up within them.

" Yeah, we can," Owen nodded.

" We can do this," Tosh agreed, while Gwen and Ianto nodded.

" So what's the next move? " Ianto asked Lily, while Jack continued to watch Lily carefully, measuring her reaction to him. He was so impressed with the way that she was standing strong through all of this, even when she was so angry at him.

Here, Lily flatered. She didn't know what the next move was.

She cleared her throat and said, " All we can is wait for Lois to get us some more information. We'll have to just keep an eye on the computer. I'm confident that if she's got us so far, she'll get us even further. We just have to wait. "

" Can I make a suggestion? " Jack asked, taking a single step forwards.

Lily looked at him and gave him the briefest of nods.

" Everyone needs some sleep," Jack said, " you've all been up over 24 hours to my knowledge, and some of you for even longer than that, I'm guessing. Everyone must be exhausted. "

" Jack," Lily sighed, " it's not the time to sleep. "

" Yes it is," Jack replied firmly, looking around at everyone, " I'll keep watch over the computers while everyone gets a couple of hours of sleep, and I'll wake you all the moment anything interesting happens. Until then, get some sleep - if we're to tackle this thing, we need to be full of energy. "

Ianto, Tosh, Gwen, Owen and Rhys seemed to be waiting for some kind of response from Lily, and she looked at Jack for a second, her eyes taking in his tired face. She herself wanted nothing more than to go to sleep after solving all of this. She was tired and wanted to curl up in her own bed - she felt like it was all getting on top of her, and the baby wasn't helping.

" Fine," she said simply, giving in and running her hand through her hair - a sure sign that she was stressed out. As those around her started to leave the room and spread out, trying to find somewhere half decent to sleep, though no-one thought they'd get much sleep.

Lily was left alone with Jack, and she looked at him in silence. He looked back at her - he wanted to hold her and look after her, but he couldn't think of the right thing to say.

Lily looked him up and down as he stood a few steps away. She thought about everything that was going on, and she sighed and started to walk away.

She'd have to walk past Jack to get to the sofas and armchairs which everyone was going to sleep on. She started to walk past him, and once she'd gotten just past him, he reached out and caught hold of her forearm to stop her.

She stopped and let out a little sigh. She was about to wrench her arm from his grip but she couldn't bring herself to - it was too much effort and she didn't want to fight.

She looked into his face and saw the pain in his eyes. Jack had been all ready to say something to her until he looked at her - he didn't konw what to say.

" I'm sorry," he said simply.

" I know," Lily said - not immediate forgiveness, but she felt like they had to move forwards somehow. It was already done, and they had to deal with it, " good night, Jack. "

" Night," Jack said, letting go of her arm and watching her walk away. It was some kind of progress, at least.

Lily walked away from Jack and across to the other side of the room. She saw that her collegues had left her an armchair free to sleep in and she smiled gratefully. Tosh and Owen were planning on sharing a sofa, Ianto was curled up in the armchair beside her, and Gwen and Rhys were on the other sofa. Clement was sitting on the floor, eyes wide open, staring at the other side of the room.

" Here," Owen said to Lily, handing her two big thick blankets as she sat down in the armchair.

" Thanks," Lily said, allowing herself to smile, despite the seriousness of the situation, " but I'm not sure that I need all of this. "

" Yes, you do," Owen said, shoving the blankets at her. He was standing close to her and was quiet enough so that no-one could hear him, " you're pregnant, Lily. You've got to be comfortable, and no arguments - I'm a doctor. "

Lily rolled her eyes, " Yes Dr Harper," she said, sticking her tounge out at him.

He smiled fondly and then went to sit on the sofa with Tosh. Lily sighed and curled up, closing her eyes - she was exhausted but the horrors of seeing the child like that in the tank, and thinking of the millions more than could end up that way if they didn't stop them, kept her awake.

She couldn't sleep.

Everything kept spinning around in her mind, and she couldn't sleep. There was far too much to think about, and when she finally did get to sleep, it wasn't comfortable, and she kept waking up - there was far too much to think about.

Lily realised when she woke up several hours later, that she must have fallen asleep at some point, properly. It was daylight and she found that she was the first one of the lot to wake up.

She pushed the blankets aside and stood up. She walked across the room slowly, looking for Jack. She didn't know what she was going to say to him, but she felt like they needed to go someway to resolving this. And she had one big question on her mind.

She crossed the warehouse slowly and she found him sitting down near the computer. He was wide awake, staring at the opposite wall, sitting down with his back against the wall.

He looked haunted and Lily felt the same sort of way - she was terrified by what had happened and felt under so much pressure to fix it and make it all better.

She stopped a little away from him, and when he saw her, he slowly got to his feet.

" Morning," he said quietly, not sure what her reaction to him would be.

Her eyes were wide and curious and she moved over to him, slowly and cautiously. She stopped a metre or so away from him. They stood looking at each other and Lily's eyes flickered across his face. She knew she needed to tell him exactly how she was feeling.

" This must have been eating away at you," she said to him, looking up at him. She couldn't understand why he hadn't told her, and she felt like it said a lot about their relationship, " why didn't you tell me? I could have helped. "

" No, you couldn't," Jack said simply.

Lily felt hurt by that comment and she shook her head, " We've been through so much together and I thought we were solid. I tell you everything, Jack. I ... I thought you told me everything too. We ... we're married. "

Jack sighed - he didn't know where they could go with this, or what he was supposed to do or say. What he should have done, or how she could forgive him.

" Tell me, Lily," Jack said, " what should I have done? "

" Stood up to them," Lily replied at once. She almost had no control of the words coming out of her mouth, and after taking a deep breath, she continued, " my husband would have stood up to them. It's like ... well, don't I know you at all? "

" This is all there is," Jack said, shaking his head, " I've lived for a long time, and I've done a lot of things, some of which I'm not proud of. I thought you could accept that. " He turned his back on her and grabbed hold of his coat. As he pulled it on, he said, " I've got to go. I won't be long. "

Lily frowned - now they'd started this, she wanted to finish it. They needed to get through it.

As he took a step away and started to the door, Lily sighed, " Don't go. Come on, talk to me. Don't ... I don't want to leave things like this. Where are you going? "

" I have to call Frobisher," Jack said, turning around to face her, " I can't make the call from here or they'll trace it. " He walked over to the door, and stopped halfway, turning back to face her, " and just so you know, Frobisher's taken Alice and Stephen hostage. He took them yesterday. "

Lily shook her head as he turned away again. She followed him to the door and grabbed hold of his arm,

" Jack," she said, as he turned around to her.

Jack looked down at her and he noticed the way that her eyes were focused on his lips. Lily felt something overcome her and she pushed herself up onto her tiptoes and pressed her lips against his. Jack was suprised but knew how much this meant - this was a huge step to making up.

Her lips were quite forceful against his and he laid one hand on his cheek as he kissed her back with as much passion. Both gave the kiss everything they had, and when they broke apart, both slightly breathless, Jack pushed some of Lily's hair away from her face.

" I've got to make this call," he said, taking a step back from her.

Lily nodded and she watched him leave.

Once he was gone, she wandered over to the computer and knocked the mouse with her hand, hoping to spark the computer back to life and show some kind of image. Instead, she found that the program was still running, but there was no imagine on the screen - whatever was going on, Lois wasn't there and she didn't have the contacts in.

As Lily was standing at the computer screen, she heard someone walk up behind her and she turned her head to the side to see Ianto walking up beside her. He held out a mug of coffee to her and she smiled as she accepted it.

" Thanks sweetie," she said quietly.

" Did Jack just leave? " Ianto asked Lily, taking a sip of his own coffee.

" Yes," Lily replied, " he had a phone call to make, but he's coming back soon. I'll kill him if he doesn't. "

Ianto smirked a little, " He won't dare cross you, you know. No-one in their right mind would. "

Lily smiled a little, though she knew this wasn't a situation they should be smiling in.

" Have you told him yet? " Ianto asked.

" No," Lily mumbled, before repeating it, " No, I haven't. But I'm going to. Really soon. As soon as the 456 have gone. I'll tell him. He ... I bet he's going to be thrilled. "

" Well, aren't _you_? " Ianto asked her.

" I wasn't," Lily said, shaking her head, " but now I'm not so sure. I don't know what to think, Ianto. Tell me how I should feel, Ianto. You know the answers to everything. "

" I'm sorry, Lily, I think this might be one you've got to work out on your own," Ianto replied lightly.

" Damn," Lily said, shaking her head, a smile still tugging at the corners of her lips.

One by one, the rest of them started to wake up and get moving, and just under an hour later, they were all sitting around together when the door to the warehouse opened and Jack strode in.

Lily looked across at him and she left the others around the computer, waiting for something to happen, while she crossed the room.

" How did it go? " she asked Jack, as they stopped a way of from the rest of the team, so that the team could see them but coulnd't make out anything that they were saying.

Jack shook his head, " Frobisher was less than helpful," he admitted.

Lily nodded but said nothing, and when she looked up from the ground she saw that her husband was looking straight into her eyes.

" I'm so sorry, about everything," Jack said, " what you said earlier - you said you don't know me .. "

" I suppose that was a little harsh," Lily admitted, " I was being rash - I'm just struggling to deal with all of this, Jack. "

Jack nodded, " Of course. But ... " he looked so worried and he reached out and laid both of his hands on her arms lightly - when she made no movement, he took this as encouragement and took a small step forwards, " I'm so sorry, Lily. I know I messed up, but I need you on my side. I need you now. "

Lily looked up at him - his hands were warm and she tried not to let his touch distract her.

" You've got me," Lily said, " I'm mad at you, Jack, you've got to know that, but I'm more annoyed that you didn't tell me straight from the beginning. "

Jack nodded, " I know, baby, I know. Am I ... dare I say it ... forgiven? "

The look that suddenly passed Lily's face was dark and a little angry, " Don't push it," she said, " I'm not exactly happy, but what's done is done, right? We need to get on and past this, to save the children. "

Jack sighed a little in relief, " I'm so lucky to have you, Lily. Thank you, so much. "

Lily nodded, and she said, " I married you, Jack. That means standing by you. "

Jack nodded and Lily looked her shoulder to Ianto, Tosh, Owen, Gwen, Rhys and Clement. " Come on, Captain, we've got work to do," she said.

Jack removed his hands from her arms and followed her over to the others. As Lily came to stand between Gwen and Owen, Tosh was sitting down at the computer, and Ianto pointed at the screen.

" Just in time, you two," he said, " Lois has got us back online. "

" Oh, good girl," Lily said, impressed.

They watched the screen. Lois was walking down a corridor in what looked like the inside of 10 Downing Street. Lily sort of recognised the room, and if she was in any doubt, Gwen beside her, told Rhys,

" It's Cobra - where all the emergency planning takes place. "

Lois walked into a large meeting room.

" Watching carefully, you lot," Lily said, " the government meeting's about to start, and I've got a feeling that we'll find out something useful. "

" They'll sell us out," Clement said as everyone edged closer to the screen, " just like they did last time. "

As Jack came up on Gwen's other side, Gwen glanced up at him, " I'm sorry to hear about your family, by the way, Jack. I'm sure we'll get them out. "

Jack glanced across at Lily, who suddenly wondered if she should have said anything to the team about it or not, but Jack smiled a little and turned back to the screen.

Around a long mahogany table, sat several important looking people. Amongst them were the prime minister, John Frobisher, members of the cabinet and a few representatives from UNIT and the US military. Behind Frobisher, sat his secretary, Bridget Spears, and Lois behind her.

" Ladies and gentleman," the Prime Minister started, " it has been decided that we will make the 456 an offer. A realistic number, something we can manage, and then we see what happens. "

Lily stared at the screen - they were giving in. So easily.

A curly haired woman, presumably a member of the cabinet, said, " You mean we haggle? What about military action? "

" There's nothing to take action against," replied a representative from the US military, " evidently, the 456 must have some sort of evasive operations, but our satellites are showing nothing. Whatever's up there, it's beyond our own technology. "

" Isn't there a target in Thames House? " demanded the curly haired woman.

" Taking that out would be a declaration of war," pointed out the military man.

" A war which we cannot win," nodded a bald man who also belonged ot the cabinet.

The Prime Minister nodded, " That's why I've invited John to adress the 456. In terms of managing the figures, what could we get away with? We need to know what's available by tomorrow morning. "

" My God," Tosh breathed, looking around, " they're actually going to do this. "

The others were equally stunned - Lily felt certain that the government would have tried to back down and find a way out, but it looked like they were going to do no such thing.

" Look, it won't just be Britain, will it? " the woman asked.

" The idea is that every country will make a camoflagable contribution," the Prime Minister replied.

They watched Frobisher pick up a file and start to flip through it. He said quite awkwardly, " Right well, um, for a start there are 21 children in Oakington. 21 units - unaccompanied asylum seekers awaiting deportation. "

Lily winced, " A step on," she said, " orphans back them, asylum seekers now. How can they do this? "

No-one had an answer, and the bald man said, " And no-one would miss them. "

" We need more," demanded the Prime Minister, " can you bump the numbers up to 60? "

" I think so," Frobisher replied, " we could have them all in Oakington by first thing tomorrow. "

The Prime Minister nodded, " Thank you, John. Now, could you get back to Thames House and consult with the 456?Make them an offer of 60 units and no more. "

Frobisher left the room, and for a short while, nothing really happened. Lois remained in the room so they could still see what was going on, but all they saw were the people in the room getting up to make phone calls or having a drink, and having a quick break.

Everyone was in deep thought, and no-one had anything to say. They all watched the screen and waited for something else to happen - it seemed ridiculous that the government were going to give the children away. Yet it seemed, that they were.

After God only knew how long, those in the room sat down around the table again ad seemed about to restart their meeting when Clement suddely spoke. He spoke in a low voice, possessed by the 456, it seemed.

" Three-Two-Five-Zero-Zero-Zero. "

He chanted it over and over again and Lily whipped around to look at him.

" What is it? What does it mean? " Gwen asked, reaching out to Clement.

" Tosh, run a search on it," Lily said, while Ianto moved over to the adjacent computer and started to search the news channels. Lily came to stand behind ianto, looking over his shoulder, while Jack stood behind Tosh. Jack looked at Lily and she resisted the urge to smile at him and looked at the computer screen.

" Maybe it's a grid reference," Tosh said, fingers working at the keyboard quickly, " or co-ordinates. "

Meanwhile Lily and Ianto watched news footage on the internet.

" Jack," Lily said, looking up from the computer, " something you might want to know - children in different countries are saying different numbers. Whatever the number links to, it's something specific in each country. "

" But what? " Jack sighed, frowning as he tried to think of the significance of the number. 325000. He had no idea what it could be, but it was bound to be something terrible.

" Here," Tosh said, once she decided she couldn't find anything, " they're discussing it. "

Everyone quickly gathered around the screen again to watch.

" It's confirmed," the bald man said, " 325000 is ten percent of the children, um, the units, in this country. Every country is saying a different number, and every number corresponds to ten percent of the children in that country. "

The Prime Minister sighed, " Then it looks like our final offer has been rejected. "

" What the hell do we do now? " Gwen mumbled.

" I don't know," Lily said, her voice barely above a whisper. She reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone. She dialled her dad and held the phone to her ear, but there was no response. He wasn't picking up, and she groaned and threw her phone aside in annoyance.

" Bugger," she said, running her hand through her hair and glaring at her phone, " Why isn't he picking up? I've rung so many times - we need him. He's always there for stuff like this - this is ... this ... they're going to give away millions of kids. This'll be the end of the world as we know it - i bloody need him. "

Jack picked up her phone and held it out to her, " No need to take it out on the phone," he said.

Lily took it from him with an apologetic smile and stuffed it into her pocket, " I'm sorry. I'm just ... I need him. "

Jack sighed and looked up at her, " I hate to say it, Lily, but it looks like we're going to have to deal with this one on our own. "

" Yeah," Lily said, shaking her head, " looks like it. God, this is all so wrong. "

" I know baby," Jack said, reaching out and trying to take hold of her hand. She pulled her hand away from his and hesitated - she knew she'd have to get past what he did and she knew that she'd manage to, but it was difficult to get through.

She suddenly thought of her baby - she was so angry with Jack for not telling her about the children he'd given away, and they'd agreed that there'd be no more secrets. Yet, she had a secret of her own, that she was keeping from him. She suddenly realised what a hypocrite she was. She knew now more than ever that she needed to tell Jack about the baby - he'd be furious if she had it as a secret from him. She decided she was going to tell him as soon as all of this was over.

She looked at him - he was looking back at the computer screen.

She took a side step closer to him and touched his sleeve - she wanted his comfort but she was hesitant.

Jack felt her touch and though he kept looking at the screen, he reached out and laid his hand on the smal of her back, keeping her in closer to her.

She felt some kind of comfort in spite of everything that was going on.

Lily turned to the screen and everyone watched what was going on, in silence.

" Ladies and gentlemen," the Prime Minister told the others in the room, " I have to tell you that we're facing our worst case scenario. And right now, we don't even have time for a discussion on ethics - I'm afraid the hand wringing will have to wait until later. All we can do at the moment is adress a number of vital ad practical questions. "

" Namely," the bald man said, " how do we select the ten percent? Who would go? How would we transport them? And how can we sell it to the voters? "

" John? " the Prime Minister prompted, looking at Frobisher.

Frobisher shook his head awkwardly, " Well, the selection criteria is not down to me, but once the selections have been made, my department can arrange to bus all of the children to the rendevous positions together. My staff are currently compiling various school databases to look through. You just need to decide what criteria you'd use for selection - which is out of my hands. "

" Anyone? " the Prime Minister offered.

Lily frowned as she looked at the faces of the people on the screen - how could people who were responsible for the running of the government do something as terrible as this - here they were, trying to decide which children were going to be given away to aliens.

Lily could hardly bear to watch but she forced herself to watch the screen, only the feel of Jack's strong hand on her back any source of comfort.

" It would have to be random," the US military man said at last.

" No-one would believe it was random," the curly haired woman said, " not unless some of us are seen waiting at the gates for empty buses to return. "

" If the criteria is fair and random, then we can at least defend ourselves," the military man said.

" So you're willing to risk your kids to make it look for? " the woman shot back.

" Then how else can we choose? " demanded the military man.

" Unless you do it alphabetically," the bald man suggested.

" Oh yes, easy for you to suggest, Mr Yates," spat the woman.

" No," the bald man - apparently Mr Yates - said, lifting his hands up, " I've got no children anyway. wasn't trying to ... "

" Yes, no children," the woman spat, " easy for you, the, isn't it? And your children are all grown up, Prime Minister. "

" Ms Sibbleton," sighed the Prime Minister, frowning, " please ... "

" Oh yes," scoffed the woman - Ms Sibbleton - " let's discuss the loss of innocet children, but lets be civil about it. "

The military man sat up straight in his seat and suggested, " Perhaps we could limit it to one loss per family - every second child, perhaps. "

" That would take time and organisation, which we don't have," the Prime Minister pointed out.

" Then it would have to be one school at a time." the military man said.

There was a pause, and the woman narrowed her eyes and looked around at everyone. Then, she was the first one to break the horrible silence. She said carefully, " I'm going to say what everyone else is thinking. If this ... lottery ... takes place, my kids aren't in it. "

" I'm sure the families of Gold Command would be exempt anyway," Mr Yates said.

" Bastards," Clement said, voicing what everyone was thinking.

Lily was too stunned to say anything and Clement scoffed, adding, " Look at them - debatig whether they can get their own kids out of it, without a care for anyone else's kids. "

The US military and shook his head and said, " I hate to be crass, but do we have a show of hands? "

" But who votes? " Ms Sibbleton asked, " those with no children, no interests to declare, or those with children. . "

" No-one votes," the Prime Minister said sharply, " it's down to me to make the decision. And whatever happens, the children and grandchildren of everyone sitting around this table will be exempt. "

" What about nieces and nephews? " asked Ms Sibbleton urgently.

" Don't push it," the Prime Minister said quickly.

Ms Sibbleton nodded and then leant back in her seat, shaking her head, " Well, now we've decided that our own children are exempt, the whole random selection theory's gone out of the window. And we have to think about the future of this country. Now look, on one hand, we have the good schools - where the pupils will go on to staff our offices, factories, hospitals, our future workforce. We need them. And set against that, we've got the failing schools - full of the less able, the less socially useful, destined to spend a lifetime on benefits, occuping places in the dole queue and in prisons. Should we treat them equally? God knows we've tried and we've failed and the time has come to choose. And if we can't identify the lowest achieving ten percent of the country, then what are the school league tables for? "

There was a short silence, and the Prime Minister nodded.

" Then we have selected the ten percent," Frobisher said.

" Jesus," Lily whispered, turning her back on the screen, completely blown away. One look at her friends around her told her that the felt exactly the same way - disgusted and shocked.

" We've got enough evidence here to destroy every person in that room.," Gwen pointed out.

" And we can use it," Jack said, " to fight our way into Thames House and finally get face to face with this thing. "

" And get your family released," Lily said, looking up at him.

Jack looked at her, his eyes looking on hers, " Yeah," he said, as everyone sprang into action. As he reached for his coat, he said, " and they're _our _family, by the way, not mine. "

Everyone started to make a plan for what they'd do next, and once the planning was done, they all gathered around together again.

" Right," Jack said, fastening up his greatcoat, " everyone know what they need to do? "

Everyone replied that they did.

" But what if I can't get Lois to agree to it, Jack? " Gwen asked.

Jack smiled at Gwen, then at Tosh, then Rhys - all of them, " No," he said, " I've got confidence in you lot to do this for us. And Lois hasn't let us down yet. "

" We can do it," Tosh nodded.

Lily felt fired up to go and save the children of the earth, and she knew there'd never been a more important moment in her career. She needed to do this - once this was over, she could tell Jack about the baby, and they ... they could move forwards.

Ianto tossed a gun at her and she caught it deftly.

" Let's go," Jack said, starting for the door.

Lily looked at Gwen, Tosh and Rhys. " Good luck, guys," she said, before following Jack, Ianto and Owen following on behind her.

The four of them started off towards Thames House - they were hurrying along the streets and they knew they'd have to move quickly.

Lily strode through the streets with Jack, Ianto and Owen, but her mind was full. She thought of everything that was happening - of their plan, of her baby, of all the children in the world and of what they were about to face in Thames House. It was dangerous, she knew, and she was willing to risk her life, but she knew she had several lives left. Owen and Ianto, however, didn't.

She felt herself slow down - in the middle of all of this, she last thing she wanted was to lose a friend too.

Aside from the danger to Ianto and Owen, she thought she and Jack could handle it on their own. Not to mention, she couldn't stand the thought of Tosh ad Gwen having to face the dangers in the warehouse without much back up. This all seemed too dangerous. Ianto and Owen had been so good to her, especially over the past few days, and she felt like the whole team shold be together.

She slowed down even more, and she shook her head as she came to a halt.

" Wait," she said, stopping their mad rush towards Thames House.

Her three companions stopped and turned to look at her - all three of them looked confused and couldn't figure out what was wrong with her.

" Lily? " Jack prompted, " are you alright? "

Lily shook her head and looked at Owen, at Ianto and back again. " I want you both to go back to the warehouse," she said.

" Why? " Owen asked, frowning in confusion.

" Jack and I can handle this," Lily said, " we're plenty capable between the two of us. I'd rather ... look, what we're facing is huge - "

" Which is why we should be there with you," Ianto said.

" No," corrected Lily, " that's why you should both go back and be with Gwen and Tosh, and help them. Gwen and Tosh might need the back up, and I want you two to provide it for them. The team needs to stick together - that means all of you. "

" And what about you two? " Owen asked, looking at Jack and back at Lily.

" I've told you," Lily said, pleading with him, " this is huge, Owen. I want you and Ianto to go back to the warehouse and provide some back up for Gwen and Tosh. Jack and I have got this covered. We'll be fine. "

Both Owen and Ianto were hesitant, but Lily really felt that she had to protect Ianto and Owen - they'd been so good to her, and she wanted them to be safe. She'd much rather have them at the warehouse than in Thames House.

" Jack? " Ianto asked, looking at Jack briefly - he knew that he wouldn't be able to resist Lily's commands, but he wanted to make sure that this was the right thing to do.

Jack nodded briefly, " Fine," he said, knowing that Lily's opinion was usually one he could trust. " Go. "

Ianto nodded and Lily looked between he and Owen. She felt a little teary eyed and she shook her head and looked between them again.

" Look after yourselves," Lily told them firmly, " you know what to do - we can do this. I'll see you both soon. "

Owen nodded, " Good luck," he said. He stepped forward - he didn't want to leave her, but he wanted to get back and help Tosh out - he wanted to be with Tosh, and he wanted to do whatever he could to help the children and stop the 456 taking ten percent of all of the children. He laid his hands on her shoulders and said, " you look after yourself, yeah? "

Lily felt overcome with affection for Owen - he'd helped her with the pregnancy, soothed her when she was sick and comforted her. She felt her hormones take over too, and she was close to filling up with tears.

She leaned in and threw her arms around Owen. It was a tense situation, and he smiled grimly and enveloped her in his arms.

" You watch what you're doing," Owen said as quietly as he possibly could, " I'm not sure this is such a good idea for you - it might not be safe. "

" I ... I've got to do this. Take care," Lily mumbled.

Owen hugged her tightly and then Lily moved over to hug Ianto. She hugged him briefly and mumbled, " Be careful, sweetie. Ad maybe you should call your sister - warn her, Ianto. "

Ianto and Owen looked at Jack, and Jack read both of their expressions easily - he knew they were both telling him to look after Lily, or he'd have them to answer to. Jack only realised today, exactly how protective Owen was of Lily, and even that Ianto was protective of her.

Jack nodded at them and Owen and Ianto both turned around and headed in the opposite direction.

Once the two men had gone, Lily and Jack set off through the streets again, walking at a top speed.

" Why did you really send them back? " Jack asked Lily, looking at her curiously.

Lily sighed, " How could I let them come face to face with a monster who wants to take children? " she said, shaking her head, " we're in charge of this team, Jack, and that means we have to protect them. We've led them into so much, and it's enough that we've got them on the run, and having to face this monster. I won't make them come face to face with it. I - "

" You're protecting them," Jack finished for her, " because you don't want them to have to meet the 456. "

Lily shrugged, " I don't know what it is, Jack. I just feel ike ... these things take children and use them for their own purposes - they treat them like they're nothing. How can I force anyone to meet something that terrible? "

" You're too good, you know," Jack said, " I don't deserve you. "

Lily smirked a little and the pair of them continued to hurry towards Thames House. Once they got there after a long, fast paced walk, they stopped outside the building.

" You ready? " Jack asked, as they stopped outside the building.

" Let's go," nodded Lily.

Jack nodded and the pair of them headed into the building. They were moving quickly and with such a sense of determination and urgency that they were dead set on their goal - no-one was going to mess with them.

They charged into Thames House, ready to fight against the 456.

A security man tried to stop them, and Jack held up his hand, " Jack Harkness, Lily Harkness, Torchwood," he said by way of explanation, without stopping to answer to anyone.

Lily followed him, and they got into a lift. Jack pressed the button hard, and they were heading straight for the top floor. As the lift went up, Lily felt her stomach doing flip-flops. She was so worried about what was going to happen, but she knew this was their moment. She was going to be brave. They were going to get through this. They'd fix this. She knew it.

When the lift stopped, Jack took hold of Lily's hand tightly, and she squeezed his hand tightly. In this moment, they were completely united, and she knew that they were done with all their arguing. This was it - they had to overcome it if it meant getting rid of the 456.

When the lift door opened, Jack stepped out and pulled Lily with him.

As they got out of the lift, Jack handed a neaby civil servant technition, " Here," he said, " a chip. I want to feed the live tv picutres to this number, can you do that for me? "

" I can do it," nodded the man.

Jack nodded and started walking through the corridors - he was ready to take this on, and the pair of them were completely ready to do it, whatever "it" was.

Lily kept tight hold of Jack's hand - they were one, and they needed each other, and they knew it.

They walked into the room they'd seen on the screen. It was a big empty room all except for a huge glass tank at one end of the room. They walked over to the middle of the room and stopped side by side in silence, holding hands tightly as they faced the mist-filled tank.

Jack looked at Lily, for a moment his confidence wavering, and Lily nodded reassuringly.

Jack took confidence from her and looked at the tank as he adressed the 456, " My name is Captain Jack Harkness," he said, " and I've dealt with you before. I'm here to explain why this time, you're not getting what you want. "

" You yielded in the past," the 456 replied, speaking in a cold voice which sent a shudder through Lily - here was the monster which was willing to take children. A monster which demanded children.

" Don't I know it," Jack said, straight faced, " I was there. In 1965. I was part of it, and that's why I'll never let it happen again. "

" Explain," commanded the 456.

" There's a saying here on Earth," Jack said," a very old, very wise friend of mine taught me it. An injury to one, is a injury to all, and when people act according to that philosophy, the human race is the finest species in the earth. "

Lily was getting worked up and she felt the need to get involved - she had to say something.

" Never mind the philosophy," she said, adressing the 456 for herself, " what he's saying is, you're not getting one single, solitary child. Around here, you answer to us, and we say no. The deal is off. "

" I kind of liked the philosophy," Jack said aside, just to Lily.

" Yeah, well you're not completely out of the dog house yet, kitten," she said. Jack looked at her, but he could tell by the slight smirk on her face, and the use of her nickname for him, that she wasn't really angry anymore.

Jack nodded - he knew the smartest thing to do was agree with his wife, " Of course I'm not," he said, squeezing her hand tighter before turning back to face the 456.

The 456 said, " You yielded in the past, and you will do so again. "

" In the past," Jack said " the numbers were small, they could be kept a secret. But not this time. That is not going to happen because we've recorded everything. All the negotiations, everything the politicians said, everything that happened in this room. And those tapes will be released to the public unless you leave this planet for good. "

" You yielded in the past, you will do so again," repeated the 456.

Jack glared, " When people find out the truth, you will have 6 billion angry human beings taking up arms to fight you. That might be a fight you think you can win, but at the end of it, the human race in defence of its children will fight to the death. And if I have to lead them into battle, then I will. "

" And I'll be right there too," Lily said firmly, " as will a very angry man, very far away, once I get hold of him. "

" This is truly fascinating," said the 456, " Human infant mortality rate is 29158 deaths per day. Every 3 seconds, a child dies. The human response is to accept that. "

Lily knew that that was true and it was a difficult thing to accept, but she wasn't going to hear it from some stupid child snatching alien.

" We're adapting, right now," Lily replied firmly, " and we're making this a war. "

" Then the fight begins," the 456 responded, before suddenly throwing a disgusting green goo against the side of the tank.

Lily looked at Jack, and she knew that something was going to kick off - this was bad, and she felt a sense of fear fill her body. Jack's eyes were filled with the same kind of worry and fear and they were ultimately confused about what was going to happen next.

" We're waiting for your reply," Jack said impatiently.

" Action has already been taken," the 456 replied.

Lily and Jack shared exactly the same confused look, and suddenly all hell broke loose - there were loud clicks as the doors snapped closed and locked, and an alarm started to blare.

" What have you done? " Jack roared.

Lily looked around the room and suddenly sensed something. As a time lord, her senses were heightened and she was able to pick up on things that humans couldn't.

" Jack," she whispered in complete shock as she realised exactly what was going on. She recognised the smell - it was dangerous. They were in serious danger and she didn't know how they were going to get out of this one.

The 456 replied before Lily had a chance to say what she was thinking of, " You wanted a demonstration of war," the 456 said, " so a virus has been released. It will kill everyone in the building. "

Jack swore under his breath and he immediately turned to Lily. He laid both of his hands on her shoulders as he looked at her for a brief moment, and then he ran to the door.

He shouted like a maniac at the guards and Lily remained rooted to the spot. She didn't know what the hell to do and she stared at Jack. Jack ran to the door and shouted for the guards,

" The air's poisoned! " he shouted through the locked door, slamming on it with his hands, " call someone! Shut off the air-conditioning! Block every air vent! Get gask masks! "

Jack moved away from the door and Lily glared at the glass tank.

" There must be an antirvirus! " she shouted, although she knew it was hopeless, " release it now! "

When there was no response, she raised her gun. She hadn't wanted to use a real gun, but knew there was no other alternative in this case. She looked at the gun in her hand and as she raised it to the tank, her arm shook.

" Release it," she demanded, willing to do whatever it took to protect the human race, " or I'll blow a hole in the side of that tank, and we can all die together. "

Jack was walking over to Lily and he stopped right behind her. She could feel the warmth of his body behind hers and his arm extended out, much longer than hers.

" You've made your point," he told the 456, " now listen. We can talk. "

" You are dying," the 456 replied, " even now. "

Lily couldn't believe that this was happening - the 456 were daring to kill people. She knew she'd be alright - she could survive high levels of gas and radiation. She could use her body to bypass it and expell it. But they were still daring to kill every other person in the building - this was now war.

Jack started to shoot at the tank and Lily followed suit, shooting straight at it, though however many bullets they sent out, it had no effect.

As they gave it up as a bad job, Lily threw her gun on the floor and groaned in frustration.

Just as she did so, there was a very loud screeching noise. It was high pitched and ear splitting and Lily stared at it, before glancing at Jack,

" What's the noise? " she mouthed at him.

Jack shook his head - he didn't know either.

" What's it doing? " demanded Jack, shaking his head.

The 456 splattered the mess all over the side of the tank and Lily looked around the room for some kind of sign - she had no idea what was going on, but she could feel herself growing weaker.

" Ok," Jack said, as the situation seemed to sink in. All he could do was panic. He turned to her frantically, his voice quick and urgent. He was stood so close to her and he gripped her shoulders and pulled her to him, "

" We've got to get you out of here," he said desperately, " I can survive anything but you can't. "

Lily could feel his panic, but she was pretty sure she'd be fine. She was scared and was panicking on behalf of every human being on the planet who would be affected by this. She felt exactly how strong Jack's love for her was and she knew that she returned it every inch - she knew that they needed each other, and she adored him so completely that she wanted to do anything to make him feel better.

" You underestimate me," she said, feeling his fear and looking into his desperate eyes as he worried how much he was going to lose her, " I can withstand very high levels of radiation. I'll be alright, I'll survive, and if it's too much I'll regenerate. "

" But you only just did! " Jack said, eyes filling with tears - he'd give anything for her and he couldn't face this, " you can't do it again! I ... not like this. "

Lily felt like she had to reassure him - she knew she needed to reassure her worried husband.

" It's too late," Lily said as he kept his hands on her shoulders, and she gripped his arms in return, " I've breathed the air, Jack. All I can do is hold on and hope for the best. " She sucked in a deep breath and tried to push away the tears that were forming - she had to keep calm for him, " If I die ... " she broke off, but she needed to tell him this, " if it's too much for me and I don't survive ... I want you to know that - "

" No," Jack said, shakig his head desperately, clinging onto her. " No! " he repeated, suddenly letting go of her and turning back to the 456.

" No! You can't do this! " he roared, " don't! "

" You said you would fight," the 456 said accusingly.

" Then I take it all back! " Jack shouted above the alarms, " I take it back, alright? Not her. Anything but her! "

Lily felt her head banging with pain and she could feel the radiation taking over her. She winced and still she refused to cry. She felt pain all over her body and she groaned as she slowly sunk to her knees - it hurt too much to stand up.

She tried to concentrate, but it was all too much.

The radiation was all she allowed herself to think about, even as she felt Jack close by, sayig words she couldn't quite make out and making gestures that she couldn't quite see.

It took a great deal of effort, and she tried to push out all of the radiation. She concentrated on expelling it into one part of her body and as she did so, she looked at Jack.

" It's ok," she said as the images in front of her became slightly more focused, " Jack, I'm going to be ok. I can expell the radiation, and I'll be fine. I ... I will. "

Jack nodded and she heard him cough and splutter and she looked up to see him stagger and fall to the ground.

" Jack," she said, shaking her head, panicked as she shuffled over to him. He was laying on the ground and she knelt over him and looked at him in concern.

He was in pain too and she forgot all about her own pain - this was their moment. In spite of anything that had happened between them, they had to make it up. She knew that nothing else mattered now between them - this had show her, if anything, that it didn't matter. She loved him. That was all that mattered.

She gripped hold of his jacket as she hung over him and he frantically grabebd her arm as he looked at her, pulling faces and trying to push away the pain.

" Don't regenerate," he said, " I love you. You're amazing just the way you are - don't change. on't change, don't go. Just ... Lily ... "

" Shhh, kitten," she said, struggling to keep it together, " I won't. I'll be fine, you hear me? Listen, I've got to say this before anything changes between us, just in case ... I love you, Jack. You're forgiven, I'm not mad at you for anything - it's all in the past. I love you, I love you. Hang on, be brave, I'll see you soon. "

Jack spluttered, " Don't change - promise me you won't regenerate, Lily. I won't have you losing one of your lives just for these stupid aliens. Promise me, Mrs Harkness. "

" I promise," Lily nodded, " I absolutely promise. "

Jacks eyes closed slowly and his grip on her loosened. She let out a little gasp of despair but there was no time to dwell on it, she had to fix this for herself - she needed to get out of this.

She'd promised Jack. There was no way out now.

Lily closed her eyes and focused only on expelling the energy. She needed this right now. Her eyes were closed shut and she focused completely on getting rid of the radiation within her.

Thoughts of relief that she'd sent Ianto and Owen back earlier filled her - at least they were safe. Combined with the thought of saving the children of earth from stupid aliens, and the promises she'd made to Jack, made her focus even more and she managed to shove away all the radiation. The more she focused on it, the more she could feel the radiation leaving her and she pushed and pushed with her mind until the radiation was slipping away from her, being squeezed out.

With a final large push, she gasped loudly and felt like she had no energy at all left.

She sunk to her knees on the floor, and felt herself slipping away - she was all out of energy and knew she was so close to slipping out of consciousness.

The 456 chuckled harshly, " He will die, and tomorrow your people will deliver the children. All of them. "

" They won't," Lily said, feeling very confident though her words actually came out quietly and in a mumble, " he'll live on. And you ... you'll be sorry. "


	10. Day Five Part One

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

Chapter Ten

Lily could hear voices around her and she felt weak and somewhat lightheaded. She couldn't bring herself to open her eyes and she needed a moment to pull herself together.

She felt a hand on her shoulder and she could hear the mumble of the team's voices around her. She frowned and slowly opened her eyes, and slowly she sat up, propping herself up on her elbows.

" Lily! " Owen said urgently, shifting closer to her. Owen and Ianto were sitting beside her, and Gwen, Tosh and Rhys were no-where to be seen. Presumably, Tosh and Rhys were still out there somewhere with the laptop of evidence against the government.

Lily looked around the room - bodies covered in cloth were laid out everywhere - the dead bodies of all of those people who'd been killed by the poisonous radiation. Tears filled up in her eyes and she couldn't believe what was happening - she had no idea what they could do next, and where they could go from here.

She knew Owen was talking to her, but she couldn't make any words out, and she scanned the room for Jack. She saw Gwen a few rows away, knelt next to a dead body.

" Jack," Lily mumbled, trying to get up and thinking only of going over to him. Instead, Owen kept his hand on her shoulder and pushed her back down.

" Hey! " she protested.

Both Ianto and Owen looked worried and Owen demanded, " You've soaked up all that radiation? " the tone of his voice was frantic, and he pressed a hand to her stomach, " do you have any idea what that could have done to you? We need to get you checked out. "

Lily looked back at him, and her eyes widened and she pressed her hand over his, resting on her flat stomach. She shook her head, " What if ... what if ... do you think I've lost it? "

" How does it feel? " Owen asked grimly, " does it hurt? Can you feel anything? "

Lily had warmed to the thought of having a child somewhat, even if she was still terrified of telling Jack, but she intended to tell him as soon as all of this was over with the children. She was confused but she knew she didn't want the baby to die - it was a part of her now. In fact, it was half her, and half Jack. It was a life and she wanted it to be ok - it would be a new challenge for them, but she felt sure that Jack would warm to the idea.

" No," she said, " it feels fine. "

Owen frowned - he felt certain that radiation should have some sort of effect on the baby, and he decided to keep an eye on her.

" You're sure? " he asked, " you're absolutely sure? And you'll let me know the moment anything's not alright? "

Lily sighed, her eyes filling up with tears, " Owen," she said, struggling to form a sentence, " I ... I can't afford to think about myself right now. "

" For god's sake," Owen said, rolling his eyes, " you're so self-bloody-sacrificing. This is your baby we're talking about. "

" And I'm telling you, I'm fine," Lily vowed, sitting up again. Her eyes still held the tears and she said, " really, it doesn't hurt - I'd tell you if anything was wrong. And ... Owen, this is huge. What the hell are we going to do - there's children about to be given away to aliens. If we don't stop this, it's the end of the world - I can't afford to think about myself right now. I mean ... just look around - all these people dead, and this is only the beginning. "

Owen nodded and got to his feet. He reached down and took hold of both of Lily's hands and pulled her to her feet. Lily looked between he and Ianto and asked,

" Did you get in touch with your sister, Ianto? Owen, how's Tosh? _Where's _Tosh? "

" Tosh is fine," Owen said, " she's with Rhys. "

" And I got hold of Rhiannon, told her not to let the kids out of her sight, but we got cut off," Ianto replied, " I'm worried about her. Mica and David go to some of the lowest achieving schools, and they'll be right in the firing line to be taken away. "

Lily bit her lip as she looked at him, " We'll fix it," she said, " we'll ... it's ok, Yan, we'll fix it. "

She was about to ask where Clem was, when she heard a loud gasp, which could only have come from Jack. She hurried across the room and threw herself onto her knees beside him as Gwen shifted aside to let her past.

Jack looked up at her and he gripped her arm as she got to his side.

" Lily," he said, scrabbling to sit up frantically, " you're alright! You're alright! "

She nodded and the tear sprang back into her eyes - she didn't know what they were going to do, but she felt so thrilled that Jack was fine, and they'd come through it. She was so relieved that he was awake and they were both alright.

" I'm fine, kitten, I'm fine," she said.

" And you didn't regenerate! " he said, reaching out for her and pulling her into a hug. He wrapped his arms around her tightly and pulled her in for a bone crushing hug, holding her as tightly as possible. With one hand, he smoothed down her hair as she buried her face against his chest.

" I didn't regenerate," she mumbled, " I promised you I wouldn't, didn't I? "

Jack sighed and kept his arms around her as he pulled away from her and quickly leaned in for a kiss. It was a deep, desperate kiss that poured out all of their emotion. Lily clung to his jacket as they kissed, and when they broke apart, he looked at her.

" Baby," he said, loosening his grip on her as he managed to get to his feet and pull her to his feet with him, " baby, you're ok. I've still got you. "

" Course you have," Lily said, gripping his arms as they stood together, " you've always got me - we're here, we're ok, and we just need to stop this. "

Jack nodded and released his hold on Lily, but kept on arm firmly around her waist.

He turned outwards to face Owen, Ianto and Gwen, who were all gathered around.

" What the hell do we do now? " Gwen asked.

Jack sighed, " That's a very good question. "

Lily looked at Gwen, Owen and Ianto, " How did things go on your end? " she asked, " with the government - the agent showed up, like you thought she would? And Clement? "

" Agent Johnson turned up," Gwen said, " but she had no idea about it all - she and her team were just roped in to get rid of us, they didn't know about the aliens, and when we showed her footage of the government scheming to give the children away, she was horrified. She had no idea. "

" And Clement? " Lily repeated, knowing from the looks on their faces that it was bad.

Ianto shook his head, " Gone. He shook, went into some kind of fit, started bleeding. He's dead. "

" Jesus," Lily breathed, shaking her head. She looked around the room - people dead all around them, and it wasn't even the end of it. It was just the beginning - she couldn't face the fact that millions and millions of children were going to be handed over, where the aliens would take them and use them. It was horrific - they were using the children for pleasure, and she didn't know what to do. She felt like they'd already lost - there was nothing they could do.

An officer approached them and told them that John Frobisher would be along shortly to meet with them. They were shown to a cafe on the ground floor of Thames House, and everywhere they went, there were dead bodies.

Lily shuddered as they walked, and even Jack's arm around her didn't provide much support. She'd never really seen Jack looking so downcast and as he looked around at all of the dead bodies she reliased the spirit was draining away from him. All the fight was leaving him, and it was as if he just didn't have the strength or the willpower to carry on.

They sat down in the cafe, and waited. Once Frobisher turned up, they were going to be in trouble, but there was no-where they could go, as several members of the government army were watching them, ensuring they didn't escape.

They sat around a round table. Lily sat between Owen and Jack, Gwen was on Jack's other side, and Ianto on Owen's other side. They sat in silence, and none of them knew what to do. All they could do was wait for Frobisher.

They sat in almost complete silence for two hours, waiting, but no-one had anything to say.

The thoughts were driving Lily wild, and every glance she threw in Jack's direction told her that he didn't know what to do - this was possibly their lowest point and none of them knew what to do.

" What happens when Frobisher gets here? " asked Gwen.

Lily looked at her - she knew what would happen, and she couldn't bear it. They were trapped, and once Frobisher came they'd be stuck.

" They'll arrest us," Jack replied simply.

" What? " Gwen demanded, " surely we can stop them? Surely we can ... "

" What? " Jack asked darkly, " how are we going to fix it? They'll lock us up. "

Lily shook her head, " Maybe ... oh, I dont know, but we've got to do something. Maybe we can bargain with them - maybe they'll let some of us go, and we could ... oh, I don't know. "

Jack didn't reply, but he started thinking about it.

Finally, Frobisher came to them. He sat down opposite them, his secretary Bridget Spears at his side.

Gwen explained to them about Clement's death, and told them they'd had a visit from Agent Johnson. Frobisher listened and then looked at them.

He said nothing, and Lily sighed and said, " The threat still stands. "

Frobisher frowned at her, " Haven't we gone past all that? "

Gwen took over, and Lily missed the first few words as thought she'd felt something. It was the slightest twinge at her stomach and she almost thought she'd imagined it. She felt fear building upinside her and she pushed it aside so she could listen to Gwen.

" My husband - " Gwen said.

" And my girlfriend - " Owen added quickly.

Gwen nodded and continued, " Are out there right now with everything you've done, recorded on a laptop. One word from us, and he will release that to the public. "

Frobisher shook his head, " What do you think Torchwood is now? " he scoffed, " do you really think you're still players? "

Lily narrowed her eyes at him, " Mr Frobisher, I'm tired," she said - one glance at her from anyone around the table would reveal that she looked rather terrible, " but I'm not giving up. We can still try. "

" We're at a tipping point right now," Frobisher argued cooly, " civilisation is about to fall into hell, Mrs Harkness. If you want to start the descent into hell, then go ahead. "

" He's right, Lils," Jack said, turning to look at her, " look what's happened to all of these people. They're all dead. Look at what we're up against. " He glanced at Gwen, " call Tosh and Rhys and tell them we've lost. "

" Jack! " Lily protested as she looked at him, " you can't give up! "

" Lily, _please," _Jack sighed, looking and sounding just as tired as he was. He'd just realised exactly was his mistake in 1965 had caused him and was turning in on himself and giving in, and Lily didn't understand that it was his guilt making his lose all hope in fixing this. He turned back to Frobisher, " what about Lois. "

Frobisher replied, " I'm afraid Miss Habiba is in police custody, charged with espinage. "

" And my daughter and grandson? " asked Jack, as a tense moment followed, everyone waiting to find out how Jack's family were. Lily looked at Jack nervously.

" Free to go," replied Frobisher.

Jack nodded and Lily could almost see the cogs whirring inside his head. Clearly, he was thinking about their next moves. After a moment of reflection, he looked at Frobisher, " Help me save my team," he said, " one of my team has family on South Wales - let him go back there. And Gwen - she's pregnant - she has to go too. And my wife. And ... let me save my team. "

" You can't send me home, Jack," Lily said, " you can't send us away - you need us. "

Jack sighed - he knew Lily would be difficult. She always was.

" Mr Frobisher," he said, " could I have a word with my friends? "

Frobisher nodded and Jack stood up, " Come on, you lot," he said. Gwen, Ianto and Owen followed him, and Lily stayed where she was - Jack turned back and when he realised that she wasn't following him, he grabbed her arm and pulled her up.

When they walked away from Frobisher and Bridget, Jack stopped them just out of earshot.

" You're all going home," he told them firmly.

" We're not," Lily said immediately, " or at least, I'm not. "

Jack sighed, and said, " Don't you think they should be allowed to choose for themselves? "

Lily shrugged and Jack turned to the others. Owen shook his head, " I'm not going either. I ... I don't have any family in Wales. The only family I've got, is you lot, as much as I hate to think of you as family, Jack, but you are. What would be the point of me going back there - I'm staying. "

" If you stay, you'll be thrown in prison," Jack said.

" I don't care," Owen said, " I'm Torchwood. My duty is to this country, and I'm damned well going to do it. "

Jack rolled his eyes and looked at Lily, " This is your fault," he told her, frustrated, " they're all as stubborn as you are. "

Lily sighed and spoke gently, " Jack, you can't force anyone to do anything. Owen's a grown man - he knows what's at stake here, and he's thought about it. If he decides to stay, then it's his choice, and we'll be supporting it, just as we'll support whatever Gwen and Ianto decide to do. Didn't you just say they should be allowed to choose for themselves? "

" Fine," Jack said to Owen, " if you're staying, fine, but I hope you know what you're facing here. "

Jack then looked at Gwen and Ianto, " I want you both to go," he said, " and I want you to think about it carefully - it's not backing out. You'd still be helping us. You go back to Wales and you save your niece and nephew, Ianto. "

Ianto clearly didn't want to leave either, but he was faced with the choice of staying or saving his family. After a moment's pause, he nodded, " I'll go," he said, trying to keep calm, " but I'll see you soon. We're going to fix this. "

Jack nodded, " Good man," he said, " Gwen? "

Gwen sighed and she rested her hand on her stomach, " Jack," she said softly, " I can't leave ... I can't abandon Torchwood. "

Jack nodded and his face was grim as he looked at Gwen. He stepped closer to her and he laid his hand over hers, on her stomach. Lily watched the moment between them carefully and her own eyes welled up with tears. Owen reached out and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, knowing she was struggling to keep herself pulled together.

Jack kept his hand on Gwen's belly as he said, " You're having a baby, Gwen. There's nothing more precious than a life, and you've got to look after that life - what good is staying here going to do? You're safer in Wales, and I'm sure Rhys will agree when he gets here. You've got to look after this baby, Gwen. It's precious. Go with Ianto - help him save his family. "

Owen leaned in and mumbled in Lily's ear, " Tell him you're pregnant, for God's sake. Look at him - he's trying to save Gwen. Imagine how he'd feel if he knew you were carrying his baby - you've got to tell him. "

" Shut up," Lily sighed, shaking her head, unable to cope with any of it.

She watched Gwen nod in agreement, and satisfied, Jack turned to Lily.

He walked towards her slowly and he reached out a hand for her. She stepped out from under Owen's arm, and stepped forwards too. As he came to stand in front of her, he laid both of his hands on her shoulders.

" Ok," he said calmly, " they've made their choices, and that's up to them. Gwen and Ianto will go back to Wales, and I'm certain Rhys will go with them. Owen stays with me, and I'd imagine Tosh will too. Which leaves you. "

" I'm staying," Lily said, looking into his eyes.

Jack smiled a little and kept his hands on her shoulders as he looked at her, " I know you're a stubborn sod, but I just wish you'd listen to me, baby. If you stay here, you get thrown in prison, it's not looking good for us. If you go back to Wales .. "

" No, you listen to me," Lily said, " If I stay here, I'm with you. We'll figure something out - we can do some good. If I go back to Wales, you'll worry about me, I'll worry about you, and I'll be no good to anyone, there's nothing I can do there. I married you Jack - for better, for worse, remember? So this is the worse. We face it. "

Jack looked back at her and then nodded, " There's really no point arguing with you, is there? " he asked, a sparkle in his eyes.

" No," she said, " You're stuck with me, Captain Harkness. "

Jack nodded in acceptance and he leaned in and pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead. Closing his eyes, he held her exactly where they were, and then after a moment, pulled away from her.

He looked at her, smiled briefly, and then started walking back towards Frobisher and Bridget. The others followed, and Lily was the last one to make the move and follow them back.

As the turned and followed the others, she suddenly felt a sharp stabbing pain at her stomach. She stopped and winced, laying a hand on her stomach, but the pain went almost as quickly as it had come.

Very worried, she supressed it, and carried on walking.


	11. Tragedy

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

**Author's Note: Hope I do this chapter justice, would really appreciate feedback and thoughts as to this chapter. As for the fate of Lily's baby, as I start writing this chapter and this author's note, I'm not exactly sure where it's going, so well see, but I'm hoping my loyal readers will stand by whatever I do. **

Chapter Eleven

Frobisher agreed to allow those of the team to go home who wanted to, as long as he had control over those who stayed - Jack knew he was stuck. They were surrounded by members of the government army and there was nothing they could do to escape.

They contacted Rhys and Tosh and told them to come back.

Soon, Frobisher and Bridget escorted Jack, Lily, Owen, Ianto and Gwen to a helicopter landing bay, where they were met by Tosh and Rhys.

Owen immediately pulled Tosh into a tight hug and whispered words that only she could hear into hear, and Rhys hugged his wife too, at once.

Jack told Tosh what was going on, and she was adamant that she was staying.

As they stood in front of the helicopter, Jack turned to Ianto, Gwen and Rhys and spoke to them, but Lily didn't hear what they were saying. Instead, she was standing back at bit, between Tosh and Owen.

As she looked around, the wind whipping at her hair, she felt another sharp pain from her stomach, and she inhaled sharply, trying her best to hide it.

Only those closest to her heard it, which was just Owen and Tosh. Owen immediately turned to look at her and his eyes dropped from her face to her stomach.

" Lily? " he asked, ready to spring into action as a doctor.

" I'm fine," she said, shaking her head.

" Don't lie to me," he said.

" I'm not," she lied - the pain had gone away, and she was too scared about what was happening to think rationally - surely it was just a twinge? It couldn't be anything serious. She was only a couple of weeks pregnant .. surely this couldn't be anything serious.

Owen searched her face and he saw nothing more than a scared young woman. He couldn't tell whether she was telling him the truth or not, and he said sternly, " I'm a doctor, Lily. You've got to tell me the moment something's not right, or I'll ... I'll tie you down and check you over myself. "

Lily nodded silently.

She wasn't thinking straight and had no idea what to think - she threw herself into denial and refused to believe that anything was happening to her. Instead, they had to focus on the situation of saving every child in the world - she found it so difficult to think of her own child.

She looked around and she saw Jack take a step back from Gwen, Rhys and Ianto, and she moved forwards. She was barely aware of her own movements, and she stopped in front of the three of them in silence.

" Good luck," Gwen said, her eyes flickering to Lily's stomach and back up again. Lily nodded and there was a moment of solidarity between the two women - they were both pregnant, though they were in different situations, and both trying to do the right thing.

Lily nodded and she reached out to hug Gwen, for what was possibly the first time the two women had ever hugged - now seemed like the ultimate time to push aside their differences.

She then turned to Ianto and pulled him in for a hug - he was always so warm and huggable and she usually felt protective of him - he was usually the vunerable one, but this week, it had been all about her.

" Take care sweetie," she said, kissing Ianto's cheek when they broke apart, " you go and do us proud, you hear me? Go and save your family. "

" Take care of yourself," Ianto said, before the two halves of the team exchanged nods, and then stepped apart. Ianto, Gwen and Rhys clambered onto the helicopter, and the moment they'd taken off, guards were grabbing hold of Jack, Lily, Tosh and Owen.

Lily felt the panic building up inside her as a guard grabbed her arms and walked behind her, forcing her to walk forwards. The others were forced to walk in the same manner, and Lily kept her head held up high and tried to keep a positive view, but she just couldn't

The guards were rough as they forced them to walk, and Lily winced as she felt her guard's hands tight around her arms.

Jack struggled against his guard and looked around at his friends. His eyes scanned over Owen and settled on Tosh and Lily. He frowned and looked at the guards, " Can't you go easy on the girls? " he asked, " they've not done anything wrong - they don't deserve this. "

One of the guards - the one with a tight hold on Lily - shook his head, " We're under strict orders, sir. All of you have been declared dangerous. "

Jack frowned, " Yeah," he said, " well you watch what you're doing around my wife. You're lucky I'm not dragging you off her right now. "

" Jack," Lily whispered, trying to calm him, though she couldn't help but be quite impressed by his unwavering loyalty to her, and his overwhelming protection of her.

Jack's eyes met hers and she simply nodded in appreciatiation of his protection, and he gave her the barest of smiles, but it wasn't a real smile - it was barely a ghost of a smile and she hated it.

They were led out of the building, and then the four of them were put in the back of a van and locked in, while the guards got into the front of the van.

Jack sat with his elbows resting on his thighs and his head in his hands, Lily at his side, with a gap between the pair of them. Owen and Tosh sat opposite them.

They sat in silence, all comtemplating what was happening. With each glance Lily threw at Jack she saw a mixture of emotions in his eyes - he was dismayed and in despair because he didn't know what to do, but she could also see the determination building up as he tried to think of a way forwards.

Lily was sitting in silence when she felt a pain in her stomach. It wasn't overly painful - it was just a mild discomfort, and she ignored it, but after a minute or so, it became more painful and she had had hard time pushing it away.

She laid her hand on her stomach, and all of a sudden, she felt a sharp pain in her stomach. It was more painful that any other pain she'd had and she leant forwards and bent over where she saw down, her hand clutching at her stomach.

She let out a moan of pain and wrapped both of her arms around her stomach.

She immediatley attracted everyone else's attention, and she was overcome by the pain. She kept her arms wrapped around herself and tried to stop her whimpers of pain, but couldn't.

At once, Jack removed his head from his hands and looked at her.

" Lily? " he demanded, panicked, " Lily, what's going on? Lily, what's wrong? Lily! "

Meanwhile, Owen had thrown himself out of his seat and was kneeling down on the floor in front of Lily. He rested his hand on her knees and said, " Lily, look at me. Tell me what's going on. "

Lily opened her mouth to talk, but instead, was overwhelmed by pain and groaned as she closed her eyes tightly, her head slumping backwards and resting against the wall of the van. She could hear Owen's concerned voices, Tosh's soft worried voice, and Jack's frantic, panicky voice, but she couldn't concentrate on anything.

She took a few deep breaths and shook her head. When she opened her eyes, tears were formingwith the pain and she took shaky breaths.

Beside her, Jack grabbed her hand and held it as tightly as possible, " What is it? " he asked, " is it the radiation? You're ... you better not be regenerating on me! You promised you wouldn't ... you can't leave me, baby. "

" I'm not leaving you," Lily said, gripping his hand as tightly as possible and panicking as she realised that she was losing their baby. He was going to be distraught when he found out, and she wished she'd told him from the beginning.

" Then ... what's going on? "

Lily took a deep breath and then hissed in pain as her stomach continued to hurt her and she could do nothing to stop it. Tears were in her eyes and she'd never felt pain like it.

After all the worrying in the past few days about not wanting a baby, she realised now she was about to lose it, that she'd have liked to be a mum. Especially since her new regeneration, she'd been more maternal and had found that she was more caring towards everyone, and epseically more protective over the vulnerable.

It was tragic that she only realised as she was losing it.

As she looked at her husband, through the tears welling up in her eyes, she felt an overwhelming sense of guilt and wished she'd told Jack before she even knew - when she'd suspected, she was pregnant. They could have talked about it, and done a test together.

As she looked into her husband's eyes, she couldn't face telling him she was pregnant - she'd kept it from him, and this was the result. He was looking at her so worried and concerned and he cared about her so completely, and she'd kept a secret from him, when she really should have told him.

" Lily," Jack said, shaking his head, shocked, " what's going on? You ... what ... "

" Lily," Owen said in a controlled calm voice, with his firm tone, " we need to deal with this. "

" Jack," Lily said, her voice weak, before she let out another groan of pain and pressed a hand flat over her stomach, " I'm ... it's ... " it was too difficult to face and the pain made everything ten times worse, " I ... I'm so sorry, Jack. I'm losing the baby. "

" Baby? " Jack echoed, instantly letting go of his hand. He froze as he stared at her. He'd let go of her hand as quick as if he'd been burnt and the hurt in his eyes was unbelieveable.

He didn't know what to do, and he couldn't believe what she'd just said. Then he registered Owen's words - Owen was concerned for her safety, but he seemed to know what was going on. There was no suprise at her words, and he'd jumped straight to her aid.

" Did _he _know? " Jack asked, gesturing in Owen's direction.

Lily's eyes were wide as she whispered, " Yes. "

Jack closed his eyes, hurt, and shook his head. When he opened his eyes again, Lily was shaking her head, trying to think of something to say.

The tears in Lily's eyes spilled out as a mixture of pain, but mostly Jack's reaction at the baby. He was looking at her in shock, but also he was hurt that she was losing a baby that he'd known nothing about in the first place.

" Please, Jack," she said desperately, " Don't... I'm sorry. " She stopped and let out another cry of pain, reaching out for some comfort, but when Jack stayed perfectly still, like a statue as he tried to come to terms with it.

Owen caught hold of her hand from where he knelt on the floor in front of her, and he was slowly pushing her skirt above her knees with his free hand.

" What - what're you doing? " Lily asked, scared as she squeezed his hand and her stomach continued to hurt like hell. She tried to shove his hand away, and he shook his head.

" It's ok, sweetheart, it's ok," Owen said calmly, " I'm a doctor, yeah? I know what I'm doing. Yeah? Ok? "

Lily didn't say anything, but she nodded and took a deep breath, trying to push away all of the pain. Tosh was stood behind Owen, eyes shining with tears and unable to watch, and Lily's own tears mixed with her pained cries didn't stop.

Jack meanwhile, might be in shock, and hurt that she hadn't told him, but the bottom line was, this was his wife, in immense pain, and losing his baby. Their baby. He knew he should be there for her and mutter comforting words and help her out but he didn't know what to do. He was furious with her.

He watched in agony, his face serious and his own tears close to falling as he saw the pain his beautiful wife was in, as Owen slowly pushed her skirt up her thighs, and even in this situation, Jack watched Owen's every move possessively.

One look up Lily's skirt and to he underwear, told Owen what he needed to know.

" Shit," he swore, before pulling her skirt back down for her and smoothing it down. His face was grim, and he stood up and hammered on the door between where they were, and where the guards were,

" Let us out! " he shouted, while Lily looked helplessly at Jack - she couldn't lose him. She just couldn't, and he was the most important thing in all of this to her, but there was nothing she could do to stop any of this.

" Jack," she mumbled, reaching out for him. He didn't take her hand and he just looked at her. His breath was shaky and uneven, and he didn't know what to do, and his was so overcome by finding out he'd have been a father if it wasn't for this miscarriage. Then the thought occured to him - there had to be a reason for the miscarriage and he realised it.

As Owen was hammering on the door and shouting that he was with a pregnant woman who as miscarrying - a statement which sent Lily into further flood of tears through her cries of pain - Jack looked at Lily.

" Lily," he said urgently.

Lily looked at him and tried to take deep breaths to keep calm as she looked at him, " Yeah? " she whispered, running her hands across the flat stomach and reaching out to grab Owen tightly as he came close to her again.

" You _knew _you were pregnant when we went into Thames House? " he demanded.

Lily noticed the serious edge to his voice and as the tears continued to fall, she dreaded where this was going. She could sense him about to blow up, " Yes. "

" You knew you were pregnant," he said, his voice rising angrily, " but you chose to risk our child's life by going to meet the 456? If you hadn't gone to Thames House, our baby would still be alive. You should have stayed away - you should have told me you were sodding pregnant. "

Lily shook her head, clutching at her stomach, " Jack, I'm bloody miscarrying. Can we have an argument later! How can you do this to me, right now? "

" Woah, woah, woah," Owen said, holding his hands out, as they felt the van come to a stop. " This isn't the time for this - let's get through this, eh? "

" But - " Jack protested

" No," Owen said firmly, as someone threw open the doors to the van, " if you want to shout and argue or whatever, Jack, then fine, but not right now. Right now Lily is my patient, and I need to focus on saving her, and minimising the damage to her. "

Jack didn't reply - he was still furious but knew this wasn't the moment.

One of the guards swore when he saw the state of Lily, and his eyes widened, " We'll get a doctor," he said, " we ... stay here. "

" I'm not bloody going anywhere, am I? " Lily shouted after him in frustration, gritting her teeth as the pain took over again.

While the other guards watched over them, when the other guard came back, he had a wheelchair. Lily could barely move, it hurt so much and she couldn't walk - she'd never been in so much pain, and Owen and one of the guards aided her in to the wheelchair.

" There's a medical wing in here," the guard said, " we'll get you there. "

" I'm a doctor," Owen said quickly, " I'm coming too. "

The guard nodded and looked at his collegues, " Take the other two to the cells then, and I'll keep an eye on these two. "

As the guards grabbed Jack and Tosh, Lily let out a stifled sob and stretched her arm out, reaching for Jack.

Jack made no move for her - he wanted to reach out and hug her and comfort her, but he was so shocked that he also _didn't _want to. He was completely shocked, hurt, pained and didn't know how to cope with any of it. He was closing down and he couldn't reach out to anyone.

" Jack," Lily said, trying to blink away the tears, " please, come with me. "

Jack gritted his teeth together and tried to expell his anger, as he looked at her, " I ... I ... I'm so mad right now, Lily, and I'm so upset, and I can't cope with any of this. It's better if I don't come with you. "

" No," Lily whispered, " please, Jack, please. "

Jack shook his head, " I'll ... " he felt embarrassed and ashamed of himself for not going with her, but he couldn't face it. He closed his eyes - he was absolutely furious with her, and he couldn't even look at her.

But then he thought - this was his wife. His wife was bleeding, in extreme pain and needed some comfort. Even if he was mad with her and grief stricken, and shocked, he had to stand by her. This was going to take some coming through.

He sighed and opened his eyes. He couldn't go with her, but he couldn't leave her, even if he was furious with her.

" I'll come," he said, nodding, " but this isn't over. We're going to be having a very serious discussion about this soon. "

He was using his most threatening tone of voice and it sent a shiver through Lily, but not in the usual good way that hs voice did. She was terrified.

He didn't make a move to touch her, or take her hand, or show any affection to her.

It was the guard who pushed her wheelchair as they were walked down the corridors towards the medical wing, and it was Owen who hurried alongside her, squeezing her hand in support every time she let out a sob or a cry of pain.

Jack didn't know how to feel or think. He was confused, and the only person more confused than him, was Lily. As Lily closed her eyes and kept a tight hold of Owen's hand, she wished very hard, that none of this had ever happened. She wished she'd wake up and it would all be a terrible dream.

* * *

**Author's Note: It feels right to leave Day Five here after the miscarriage, because the miscarriage and Jack's reaction to this is such a huge part. Not entirely sure where it's going after this, but I think there's going to be a massive argument between Lily and Jack, and a rocky patch (though as it's Jack and Lily, they'll always be alright in the end.)**

**Don't hesitate to let me know what you thought. **


	12. Day Five Part Two

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

**Author's Note: I just want to say thanks for the reviews, and I know the miscarriage might seem harsh but I think it balances off the fact that Tosh, Owen and Ianto were all saved from death. **

Chapter Twelve

Lily groaned as she opened her eyes slowly. She laid a hand on her stomach - she felt terrible and she ached all over. She felt someone holding her other hand tightly and was relieved at the thought that Jack was still holding on and they'd get through this.

But when she looked around, she was in a small white room - some kind of medical bay in this prison they'd been thrown into.

Owen was sat by her side and holding her hand tightly, and she was laid on her back on a bed. She looked around, looking for Jack - she knew she'd done wrong by not telling him, but she could justify it to herself - she'd felt right at the time. Lily noticed that Tosh wasn't in the room.

Her eyes fell on Jack. He was standing at the other side of the room, leaning back against the wall. His arms were folded and his face was pale and his eyes red, like he'd been crying. But right now, he just looked at her, very little emotion on his face. There was some relief that she'd opened her eyes - she was alright - but he looked very pained, like he was finding it difficult not to do anything.

" Jack," she said, only just managing to get out his name, not even sure what she was going to say, " Jack, please ... "

Jack held her gaze for a few moments longer, looking like he wanted to say something, and then looked away. His eyes settled on the doctor of the prison who was in the room with them, and he asked,

" Is she going to be alright? " he asked.

He was furious with her, and he could barely talk to her, for fear that he'd fly off the handle. Emotions were running so high, and he knew it was better to try and keep calm - he was struggling to much. He'd have been a father. She'd lost his baby, and it could have been prevented by her if she'd said something.

He knew he they'd never decided to have kids and he'd not wanted them for a while, but knowing they could have had a baby made all the difference - he started to imagine what could have been, and tried to shove it away.

He was furious, but upset, and in the end, he didn't want anything to happen to Lily. He knew he'd start talking to her in the end, even if he was leaving it for now, for fear of exploding at her. It was enough that they had the whole talking children thing to deal with for now.

Even if he was furious and couldn't bring himself to talk to her calmly, she was his wife. He knew he'd cool down and they'd probably come through it, even if he couldn't see it happening right now. He could imagine being angry with her for a very long time. But she was his wife - she had to be alright.

Lily was taken by suprise at his question but held it in good hope that he wanted to be with her then. That he'd forgive her.

When the doctor didn't reply at once, leaning over Lily, who squeezed Owen's hand for support and pressing his hands against her, Jack repeated, " Is my wife going to be alright? "

" Mrs Harkness is going to be fine," the doctor said.

Jack nodded but said nothing.

The doctor told Lily, " You're going to have to take things easy. " Then, he frowned, " although from what I hear, you lot are wanted criminals. "

" We haven't done anything wrong," Lily said, sitting up slowly.

The doctor frowned at them - like everyone else, he clearly believed that they were the criminals that the government had tried to kill. Frobisher had tried to eliminate them all, and now they'd been thrown into prison.

The prison doctor was very unsympathetic to them and it wasn't long before he called for guards to take the three of them to a cell. Lily had thought she might have got some time to recover, but apparently there was none.

Jack didn't speak to her as they were led to a cell, but he threw frequent glances at her - half concerned and relieved, but half furious.

Once they were locked in a cell, where Tosh already was, Tosh threw herself at Lily and hugged her warmly, while Jack went to sit in the corner of the cell, on the floor.

As she felt her friend's warm embrace, Lily allowed the first tear to fall.

" Shhh," Tosh soothed, as Owen also hovered by, " shhh, it's ok, it's ok. "

" No it's not," Lily said, more and more sobs starting to fall. She was overcome by grief and it felt like she'd never be happy again - she felt like she'd lost Jack as well as the baby, and all she could do was cling to Tosh.

All sorts of thoughts were going through her mind, and all she could think of was her grief.

It was too much on top of all of the worry for the children who were going to be taken away by aliens. Her stomach and entire lower body ached, and she started to think about what could have happened if they'd had the baby. If Jack had wanted to have the baby. If everything had been alright.

She cried as she thought of the son or daughter she could have had.

Knowing there was going to be no child made her want for the lost baby even more.

She imagined telling her child stories about all the places she'd been and the things she'd seen, teaching her child to protect the world when he or she was old enough, taking her child everywhere and giving them all the best opportunities. Of shopping with a daughter and talking about boys, and watching Jack fuss over and be protective of their little girl. Of watching a son shoot basketball in the hub with his Uncle Owen and his dad, and watching their son follow in his father's footsteps.

She sobbed and sobbed, and Tosh felt out of her depth. All she could was hug her friend and allow her to cling to her, while Owen lingered nearby.

Jack watched the scene with tears in his own eyes, and he sighed and buried his face in his hands. He was trying very hard not to cry too, as the same thoughts of what could have been filling his mind.

A child was a precious thing, and when Lily's sobs eventually died down, she was all dried out. She looked terrible and pale and all she felt was numb. She'd even forgotten all about Jack and the images of whatever child they would have had passed in front of her.

She stumbled to the bench in the cell and slowly sat down, her eyes wide as she stared at one point and thought about it all. By now, she was haunted by images of their possible child, and Jack had been pushed to the back of her mind. She just wanted to go back and not enter stupid Thames House in the first place.

Jack was still sitting on the ground, equally numb, and Owen and Tosh didn't know what to do. Neither of the grieving couple made their way to the other, and both felt numb and upset as they sat in the small cell, almost forgetting about the children who were going to be taken away.

Lily didn't know how long it had been before the little slot in the door opened, and a pair of eyes opened.

" Listen up you lot! " came a female voice.

Lily didn't even look up. She heard what the woman was saying, but she didn't care. " You need to come with us," the woman said, " we're going to fix this, and you're going to help. "

Suddenly, the door swung open and a woman in all black walked in. She looked imposing and determined, and she stood in the middle of the room with her hands on her hips.

" Let's go," she said, looking around at them all.

Jack sighed heavily and looked up at the woman. He didn't say anything, and the woman said, " Come on, what's wrong with you! I thought you were the famed Captain Harkness! Isn't this Torchwood? Move it! "

Jack glared at her, as he slowly got to his feet. Lily watched him and frowned - she didn't feel very much like going anywhere. Her baby had died and it was even worse knowing that she hadn't wanted it at first, and she'd killed it by not looking after herself properly.

" You want us to help you? " Jack asked, his voice dull.

The woman, who informed them that her name was Agent Johnson, nodded.

Jack paused for a moment and then he said, " Yes. "

He was grief stricken, but this had given him some kind of determination. Jack wasn't the type to give in when he was upset - after he thought he'd lost Lily, all those years ago, he'd never stopped thinking about her, even looking for her, and had devoted himself to setting up a Torchwood she'd be proud of when they met again. Now he'd lost the baby, he wasn't going to give up - he had a job to do. He had to save all of those children, so no-one else would have to go through the immense pain he was currently feeling.

Owen and Tosh took from Jack's lead, and Jack stopped in the doorway when he realised Lily was still sitting on the bench. She was playing with her hands, wringing them out, and staring straight ahead. She was pale and her eyes were red from all the crying.

" Lily? " Jack asked, trying to keep calm. Every time he looked at her, he thought of the fury he felt at being kept in the dark, and the hurt that she'd not told him. He felt terrible and he didn't know what to do.

Lily looked at him on hearing her name, but said nothing.

His eyes softened as he looked at her and he struggled to figure out how he was actually feeling. Just after his eyes softened, he swallowed hard, and looked away from her before looking back again.

" Come on," he said, " there's children to save. "

Lily didn't want to move - she didn't even feel like she had the strength to move, but thinking about the millions of people who would lose children, she got to her feet. She slowly followed Jack and the others out of the door, barely aware of where she was walking.

She had to concentrate hard to put one foot in front of the other and she felt like falling apart. They were guided to a car outside and all bundled into it. Lily found herself sitting beside Jack, and she looked at his face as the car started off.

He looked tense and he didn't look back at her.

She looked down at his hands, which were resting on his knees. She sucked in a breath, which was shaky at best, and she reached out and laid her hand over his.

He flinched and lifted his hand out from under hers. She looked at him as her eyes filled with tears - all she'd wanted was Jack's comfort and she couldn't get it. He didn't want to know. Jack felt mean for rejecting her, but he just needed his space.

" Don't," he said quietly.

" Jack, please," Lily whispered.

Jack shook his head, " I just need some space," he said, trying very hard to keep himself under control. They didn't speak for the rest of the car journey, as Lily folded her arms and closed her eyes, resting her head back against the headrest of the car.

Tosh cut through the silence to ask, " Um ... Agent Johnson? "

" Yes? " came the curt reply.

" Where are we actually going? " Tosh asked.

Johnson replied, " We're going to a secret location, that's all you need to know. Captain Harkness, you'll be reunited with your family, and you'll help us fight back against the 456. "

No-one else replied.

When the car pulled up, Johnson got out of the car, followed by guards who led Owen, Tosh, Lily and Jack's hands into the building, keeping a hold on each of them. They walked them down the corridors, and Lily felt numb as she walked with her hands stiffly at her side, a guard on either side of her. Jack was in front of her, Owen and Tosh somewhere behind her.

She felt completely empty and stared straight ahead. She was haunted by the images of herself playing with a son or daughter, or having fun with her husand and three or four children in the future.

And haunted by the thought that she'd messed it all up, and Jack would never forgive her.

As they walked, a young boy came running up to them.

He looked about 10 and was short, with floppy blonde hair. Lily raised half a smile as she saw Jack's young grandson run at him, Alice hovering in the background. Her smile quickly faded however, when she pictured a son of her own running at Jack, and Jack being the great father she thought he could be - she only wished she'd had that mush faith in him when she first found out she was pregnant.

" Uncle Jack! " Stephen shouted, running at his "uncle" and hugging him.

Jack swallowed hard and kept strong as he grinned and hugged the boy in return, " Hey soldier! " he said as he laughed and hugged his grandson. Alice lingered in the background and her eyes settled on her father's wife. She smiled at Lily, but instantly noticed something was wrong as she noticed the state of the woman, and the dead look behind the fixed smile.

" We don't have time for this," barked Johnson.

Jack nodded and told Stephen, " You just stay with your mum, okay? "

Johnson led them down the corridor and into a large room which was full of computers and wires. A civil servant was stood in there, and Johnson informed them that he'd been involved in the frequencies the first time the 456 came around.

" This should be everything you need, and if not, we'll find whatever else you want," Johnson said.

" For what? " Jack demanded, " what do you expect us to do? "

" The wavelengths," Johnson said, " the 456 are named after a wavelength, and that's got to be the key to fighting back. "

The civil servant - Dekker - chuckled, " You're wasting your time. There's nothing you can do. I've analysed those transitions for 40 years, and never broke them. "

Johnson sighed and suddenly pulled out her gun and shot Dekker in the arm. Lily jumped at the sound of the gun shot and turned to look at the man - he was clutching his arm in pain as he fell to the ground, but he'd be fine in the end.

Johnson looked over her shoulder at Alice and turned back to Jack, " What do you think, Captain? She said you were good - was she right? "

Jack looked at Alice and he actually broke out into a grin, which suprised Lily. Jack nodded, " Let's get to work," he said. As he pulled his greatcoat off, his eyes fell on Lily, and once again, his smile faded.

She was standing there looking so lost and her hands were on her stomach as she cradled herself. He felt so confused, and a wave of guilt washed over him - she'd done wrong and he was so mad at her that he wanted to grab her and shake her, but she was his wife - they'd been through so much and he owed it to her to stick by her.

He knew they were going to fall out over this - he knew they were going to have huge problems after this, but right now they just needed to save the children. He'd deal with Lily later.

As he took his coat off, he felt incredibly protective of her - he still wanted her to be alright - still loved her so fiercely.

She looked bloody terrible, and after the miscarriage, the doctor at the prison had found her some other clothes to wear. It consisted of a pair of ill fitting trousers and a thin white tee-shirt. She looked frozen and as lost as a little child.

He walked up behind her holding his coat out, and draped it around her.

She jumped at the movement and looked around at him, lost. He gave her the barest of smiles, a sort of encouraging smile, and she nodded gratefully and pulled the coat around herself, slipping her arms into the sleeves and pulling the big warm thing around her. It was so warm and it even smelt of Jack. It was perfect.

" Ok," Jack said, looking at she, Owen and Tosh, " I know things are tough right now, but we've got to save the children of this earth. Right now, we're all they've got. Are you with me? "

" Of course we are," Owen replied, to which Tosh nodded, and Lily nodded a moment later.

She pulled Jack's coat around her tighter and decided that regardless of how she was feeling, she had to deal with the situation at hand and grieve later. She decided that she'd have to help the kids around the world - she felt so much pain, and she couldn't stand to think of anyone else losing a child. Especially to the stupid aliens.

Everyone sprang into action, and Lily stood a little lost as she watched those around her. It took her a moment to figure out what was going on, and to push herself into taking any action.

Soon, they were all connecting up wires to the computers, fiddling with frequencies and wires. Jack demanded access to the Torchwood software, and he was soon typing away madly at one of the computers.

" Welcome back," he said, when he'd gotten the software up, and the computer was running.

Tosh stood by his side, taking over the computers like the computer whizz she was, while Owen and Lily stood nearby. Lily's stomach ached and hurt, and she tried to just focus on the matter at hand - they were the only hope all of those children had.

" It still won't work," Dekker said, now holding a tight bandage over his arm, " there's nothing on there. It's useless. "

" We've got technology way beyond you," Jack said.

Dekker laughed harshly and said, " We hacked into Torchwood years ago you idiot - "

" Don't call him that! " Lily snapped, glaring over her shoulder at Dekker. She was about to say something else, when Jack glanced at her sideways.

" Lily," he said in a warning tone, sensing that she was close to exploding.

She took note of what he was saying and kept her mouth closed, even as Dekker said, " There's nothing. "

Lily sighed and pulled out her mobile phone - she had to give her dad another call. She needed to try to get in touch with him, but as she pulled out the phone, her eyes started to tear up, and she couldn't face the thought of talking to him - she'd have to tell him about the miscarriage at some point, she realised.

" Owen," she mumbled, passing him her phone, " I can't ... will you ... can you phone my dad? Just try him one more time. I can't do it. "

" Dad," Alice said, as Owen did as instructed by Lily. Lily jumped a little at Alice's use of the word and Jack seemed to flinch, before asking in a shaky voice,

" Yeah? "

Alice replied from where she stood at another computer, " Come and look at this. It's some kind of pirate station - they're trying to get the story out to the public. They're taking the children. "

On the computer, they watched mobile phone-filmed footage of children being shipped out of schools on big buses, while their parents were left behind, confused.

Owen pressed Lily's phone back into her hand and shook his head.

" Can't get hold of him," he said.

Lily groaned and bit her lip. Now, she knew she needed to think - what would her dad do? How could they possibly get out of this? She might be hurting, but she was strong, and she'd grieve once this was over.

" We could cycle the wavelength back at them, maybe," she suggested, thinking it through.

Dekker shook his head, " I know what you're thinking of," he said, " a constructive wave. Do you think people all over the world aren't working on that right now? It's never going to work. The effect would be like shouting at the 456. "

Jack narrowed his eyes as he thought about it.

" Why did Clem die? " he asked.

" Some kind of overload," Tosh replied, " must have been. "

" We've got the recording here somewhere," Johnson said, starting to search for it.

Owen added, " The 456 killed him. "

" But how? " Tosh asked Owen, shaking her head, " maybe that's the key? Why did they do it anyway? "

Lily had been worrying about this too, and she tried to think it thorugh logically. Jack was thinking just as hard and the pair of them came to the same sort of conclusion.

" His mind must have synced to the 456 back in 1965 when he was a child," Jack explained, while Lily nodded, " but they didn't need to kill him. He wasn't even a threat. Maybe the connection hurt them. "

" Here," Johnson said, " this is the 456 at the moment of his death - we've lifted the sound from the link at Thames House. "

She played the noise to them, and it was just a loud, high pitched screeching. It was an eerie frequency, and Lily starting thinking about it. Thinking about their next move - she managed to come to some kind of conclucison but ame to dead end when she realised she had no way of transmitting.

" What's that sound? " Owen asked Dekker, " what's going on? "

" I don't know," Dekker said, " it's new. "

" Exactly," Jack said, " it's new. "

Lily nodded as she shared her thoughts, still in the same dull, dead voice, " We don't have to analyse the wave - if we could just ... just copy it into the constructive wave. "

" But we don't have a way of transmitting," Jack finished for her, sounding each less enthused and pretty dead - neither of them could focus properly.

" Of course you do," Dekker said.

Lily frowned for a moment and suddenly, she realised.

A dark mood washed across the room as both she and Jack realised what he was suggesting - it was inhumane and barbaric.

" Shut up," Lily said, at the exact same time Jack did.

They looked at each other, and each knew that the other understood perfectly. But they couldn't allow this to happen - there had to be some other way.

" But it's the same way as they're using," Dekker said.

" We'l find something else," Jack said sharply.

Lily racked her brains but had to admit options were looking thin on the ground.

" What does he mean? " Tosh asked.

Neither Jack nor Lily replied. They'd both just lost their own child and it was made all the mroe tragic by the fact Jack hadn't known about it, and they'd never had chance to celebrate her being pregnant, and now with all this 456 stuff, they didn't even have time to grieve and talk it through.

Lily tried to think of other ways - there had to be another way. She couldn't do that to a child - that would make them monsters.

" Dekker, what do you mean? " Johnson asked, when no-one told her what was going on.

" The 456 use children to establish the resonance," Dekker said.

" Meaning what? " Johnson demanded.

" We need a child," Dekker replied.

Silence followed.

Lily was momentarily confused as to where they'd get a child from, and she glanced at Jack. His face was very dark and he was staring straight ahead, his eyes even filling with tears. Lily realised at once and gasped a little, before biting down on her lip - no. Absolutely not.

She couldn't allow Jack's grandson to be sacrificed after everything else they'd been through, and losing the baby too. Absolutely not.

" What do you mean? " Alice asked, confused.

Lily couldn't look at her - they needed a child. She had a child. But it ... what was the alternative? She felt like a monster, and she hated having al of this power. She knew the only way to dea with this was to push the emotions aside.

She wanted to say no - not Jack's grandson. Anyone but him. But she knew it would make them no better than those in the government who picked and chose children they thought no-one would care about. They had to make the choice, and really, there wasn't a choice. It was Stephen, or millions and millions of children.

Dekker told Alice, " To establish the resonance. Oh, but that child's going to fry. "

Jack glanced at Alice. The look in his eyes was deadly, and now he'd removed himself from all emotion - it was the only way to deal with this. They had no choice - kill Stephen, or allow ten percent of all children on earth to be killed. It would be the end of the world.

Alice was startled by the look in his eyes, and she breathed, " No dad," as she realised what was going on.

Jakc shook his head - he'd lost his child. He wanted the child all the more, since he'd not known it was coming. He couldn't allow millions of parents across the world to go through the same thing - he had a duty to protect the world rom alien invasion, and this was the only way he could do it.

The grief spurred him on, and he wasn't thinking straight - this was all they could do.

Alice repeated, " No dad. "

Lily looked at the father and daughter. She felt so sorry for Jack, and a thought occured to her - this was his grandson. He'd be tortured forever by this, and there was no way she could let him make that decision. She didn't want to make the decision either, but she'd do anything to protect Jack.

She felt like a monster.

" Tell them no! " Alice said.

Jack opened his mouth, but he couldn't get any words out. Lily laid a hand on his arm and he looked at her. His eyes were so full of pain, and she nodded in understanding, pulling herself together. She had to be strong for Jack - she could fall apart afterwards. She tried to forget about her own lost baby. They had to move on.

" I'll deal with it," she told Jack, speaking with great difficulty.

Jack nodded, somewhat grateful for her presence - if there was ever a time to come together, now was it. He bit down on his lip hard and looked straight down, unable to face his daughter. He knew Lily was trying to save him from making the decision and he felt grateful.

Alice sensed the shift in power and looked at her father's wife - she always thought Lily was the force behind him, stoping him from doing anything stupid, calming him, supporting him. She thought she could appeal to her.

" Lily, please, no, don't," Alice said, her voice rising hysterically.

" One child, or millions," Johnson reminded Jack.

Lily glanced at Johnson, " How can you ask him to make this decision - that's his grandson! I'll deal with it. "

" Please, dad, tell them - tell her! " Alice pleaded, close to tears, " Lily - please, I'm asking you. You don't understand - he's my child. He's my baby! "

Lily looked at Johnson, " I can't allow Jack to make this decision - its my job to look after him. "

" Well? " Johnson asked.

Lily spared a final glance for Alice, feeling so sorry, and wishing there was another way, before giving the briefest of nods.

Alice ran from the room screaming for Stephen, followed by several soldiers. Lily let out the long shaky breath she'd been holding in and turned to Jack,

" I'm sorry," she said not sure what else to say.

Jack nodded simply, " There was no other way," he assured her.

Lily nodded and looked at Tosh and Owen who were both horrified at what was going on - as was Lily - but knew it was the only option. She shared a look with them, and they all knew they had to get to work.

Tosh, Owen and Lily started moving around the computers, and as she moved, Lily could feel herself about to break down. She pulled herself together, all tightly wound, but knew this was the moment - it wouldn't be long before it all feel apart.

She tried to rid herself of all emotion but this was possibly the worst she'd ever felt - she was about to let a child die, even if it was to save every other child.

Jack stood there for a moment, completely numb. He stared forwards and didn't move for a minute but then suddenly seemed to come to life as he joined the others at the consoles and started to set things in motion.

A soldier suddenly burst through the doors, carrying Stephen over his shoulder.

He set Stephen down in the middle of the room, and Lily swallowed hard as she looked at Stephen. She felt sorry for him, and couldn't face what was about to happen. In the end, she looked away - it was far easier not to look.

" What are we doing, Uncle Jack? " Stephen asked, sounding scared. When Jack didn't reply, Stephen looked at Lily. He'd only met her a handful of times,but he thought she was his aunt, wasn't she? Wasn't that what the wife of an uncle was called. He looked at her, " Auntie Lily? " he asked, when Jack didn't reply.

Lily sucked in a breath at the name he gave her- auntie Lily. She'd love to be a proper aunt, or a mother, and it hurt to think that this boy was depending on she and Jack, and they were going to let him down.

" What's happening? " Stephen asked, as the doors were shut and his mother was locked out. A soldier guided Stephen to the middle of the room, where he was stood on a large circular platform.

Lily didn't reply, still moving from computer to computer, trying to get everything ready.

The final things were nearly in motion, and once again, Lily found her eyes filling with tears as she tried to figure it all out - to get the finishing touches into place.

She furiously blinked away the tears and tried to detach from all emotions. Stephen, and her own baby, it was all weighing her down - it was all far too much.

Once it was all finished, Lily stopped still. She looked up at Stephen, and then at Jack.

Jack was staring at Stephen. Stephen looked terrified and absolutely stunned - he didn't know what to do or what to say, and he was starting to lose faith in his "uncle. " His mum was locked out - he didn't know what to do.

Jack's eyes were full to the brim with tears, and he looked at Stephen for a very long moment, before turning away. He slowly moved over to the console, and he stopped in front of the button which would begin it all.

Lily watched his hand hover over the button, and she made her way to his side.

She reached down and caught hold of his wrist before he could do anything.

He looked up at her slowly and he looked so lost, and she felt heartbroken - this was his grandson and she couldn't imagine how it must be for him - their baby, and now his grandson.

She felt duty-bound to protect him as her husband, as he so often protected her.

He looked so lost and hurt and she had to do something, but there was nothing she could do. All she could do was be there for him.

They shared a long look, and Jack knew that she was there for him now, even if he was still furious about the baby, and wanted to have it out with her, to argue about it, to shout at her, to deal with it all.

" I can't let you do this," Lily whispered.

" I've got to," Jack whispered.

Lily shook her head, " Then we do it together. "

Jack nodded silently - it was the final act in comdemning Stephen to death, and it seemed right that they did it together - they were both part of this.

Slowly, they both pressed the button, and it began.

A high pitched noise was emitted, and it was transmitting along the wires and to Stephen.

Stephen opened his mouth and started to emit the high pitched noise.

Lily couldn't bear to watch.

She looked down at the ground as everything around her started to happen. She couldn't bring herself to look at it, but the horrible noise the child was emitting was something she knew she'd never forget.

The only consolation was that Jack hadn't had to do it himself - that she'd been with him, and she stopped him from making the decision. _She'd_ pressed the button. _She'd _given the go-ahead to use Stephen.

The sudden end to the noise Stephen was making, made Lily look up, and what she saw was horrific. Stephen was lying on the groud like a limp rag doll, and she inhaled sharply, biting down on her lip.

She felt so numb and she watched as Alice was let into the room. She spared a glare in Jack and Lily's direction that would have shot them dead if looks could kill, before sobbing hysterically as she ran to cradle her son.

Johnson nodded at them, putting her mobile phone back into pocket after whatever call she'd just taken, " It's all over," she said.

Owen and Tosh both looked horrified, and Owen stared at the dead boy, while tears fell down Tosh's cheeks - sometimes, this job was awful.

Silent tears fell down Lily cheeks too, but it was nothing compared to the tears jack shed. He didn't make a noise, but his tears fell and fell - he was in pure shock and had no idea what to do next.

The only consolation was that it was all over - or at least, the kids were alright. They had sacrificed Stephen, but every other child in the world would be safe.

They stood there watching Alice and Stephen for several moments, and Jack was the first to make a move. He was like a broken man, and he turned his back on his daughter and dead grandson.

Lily worried that Jack would hate her after everything that had happened, and she expected him to walk straight out of the room. She pulled his warm, too-big-for-her greatcoat around her body, and Jack reached out to her as he turned to face her.

She didn't move, not sure how to act around him - she so wanted to comfort him, but was scared about his reactions to her. She'd lost their baby, she could have prevented it, she'd had a hand in allowing his grandson to die.

Instead, he didn't seem immediately angry. Or if he was, he was far more in need of comfort than he was angry.

He laid both of his hands on her waist as he pulled her in towards him slowly, and gathered her up in his arms. He held her close as he wrapped his arms around her waist, holding onto her for comfort.

Lily slowly returned the embrace and slid her arms around his middle. She rubbed his back gently, and after a long warm hug, where Jack simply held Lily to him, trying to bury his face in her hair, he leaned back.

He looked into her eyes, and she felt like she had to say something, but there were no words which felt appropriate in this situation. Jack felt the same - he wanted to say something to her, but there were no words which seemed right.

" Jack," she whispered, so quiet that only he could hear.

He nodded in acknowledgement of the fact that she wanted to say something - to help.

" It's ok," he said, the tears still falling, " I know. We'll be ok. "

Lily nodded, though she could sense it was far from over - they'd still have to talk about the baby, but for now, they were alright. They had to just get through this for now.

Jack pressed a kiss against her forehead, and his lips stayed pressed against her forehead afterwards as he rested against her. After a momentary pause, he tucked some of her hair behind her ear slowly - it didn't matter. This was his wife. He needed the comfort right now. He needed to know he still had her - they'd deal with the baby later. Right now they had to come to terms with Stephen. They had to leave this place and get the rest of their team back together.

He gently kissed her forehead again before taking a step away from her.

Slowly, he turned on his heel, like some kind of haunted man, and left the room.

Lily watched him go, and barely hesitated before following him.

She laid a hand on her stomach and frowned.

Saving the world often came at a very heavy price.


	13. The Next Move

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

**Author's Note: I know this has been waaaaaaaay too long, but I was struggling to go forwards with this, and started writing some other stories. In the middle of that, and my A-level studies, this got pushed to the back, but hopefully I'll be getting back on track with this now.**

**I'm sorry about how long this has been and I hope I'll still have some readers now. Please feel free to comment, as usual.**

Chapter Thirteen

Lily had never felt worse in her entire life.

She felt like this was the lowest she could ever go - she'd miscarried the baby which she hadn't even told her husband about, and she'd had a hand in allowing his grandson to be killed. Admittedly, his death had saved every other child in the world but right now that seemed like no consolation at all.

Once Jack had left the room, she was left standing in the middle of the room.

She wrapped her arms around her upper body feeling numb, and she didn't know what to do.

It seemed stupid now that she'd been so scared and so worried about telling Jack she was pregnant and she was completely terrified now, that she'd messed up their relationship.

She'd seen the fury in his eyes and she knew he was furious and hurt and although he'd just hugged her and held her close, she knew that that was just because he was in pure shock about Stephen's death.

She dreaded what was going to happen when they got back to Cardiff.

The hub had been blown up, and they now had no home, their relationship was in complete turmoil, and there was a danger that their friends would side with one or the other of them, and this could rip apart the team.

She was vaguely aware of Tosh leaving the room.

She didn't know how long she'd been rooted to the spot before there was a hand on her shoulder, and she jumped slightly.

" It's ok, it's me," Owen said softly, his hand still on her shoulder.

She turned slightly, and he thought she looked absolutely terrible under the stress and all the pain that she was going through.

" Owen," she mumbled, closing his eyes, " what the hell happens next? "

He didn't know what to do really, but he nodded towards the door, " Come on," he said quietly, " we're going to go home. Johnson's organised us a car home, and we're going to meet up with Gwen, Rhys and Ianto. We have to go home. "

Lily sniffed, " I don't have a home now," she said.

" We'll figure something out," Owen said, " I think it's more important that you think about taking care of yourself. "

She sighed, " How am I supposed to do that, Owen? After ... he's gonna hate me. He's just gonna hate me. "

" But we have to go home," said Owen.

Lily took a deep breath and nodded - she knew that whatever happened next, they needed to go back to Wales and reunite with the rest of their family. She was aware that she and Jack were probably going to have a very big argument, and she couldn't face it - she was certain that their relationship was going to crumble, but they had to get going.

She and Owen left the room

Lily walked slowly, haunted by the image of Stephen dying and the knowledge that she'd had a role in it. The fact that she'd caused a mother to lose her child, after just losing her own child.

The fact that her husband had lost the baby he didn't even know he was going to have, and his grandson, and his daughter would probably never going to speak to him again.

She was in complete turmoil and her mind was all over.

She could barely think about putting one foot in front of the other, and as she walked out of the room and into the hallway, she saw Jack sitting down in a chair, head in his hands, and Tosh stood opposite him, her phone clutched in her hand.

Tosh looked up when she saw Owen and Lily and she didn't know what to say.

She looked from Lily to Owen and between them both as she said, " I've just rung Gwen and told her that we'll be setting off now - should be home in about two and a half hours. We're going to meet them at Ianto's. "

Jack looked up when he heard Owen say, " Right, let's get going. "

Jack looked straight at Lily and the thing she most registered was the pain in his eyes, and she knew he was absolutely furious as well as so hurt.

Jack wanted to talk to her, but he didn't trust himself to open his mouth without shouting at her and flying off the handle.

He was furious that she'd never told him she was pregnant, hurt that she hadn't told him, confused that she hadn't told him and confused as to how he felt about the baby. He knew that they'd not planned it but he knew he'd have been thrilled to have a baby. Even now, when he thought of it, he knew he'd love to be a dad.

He just wanted to grab his wife and shake her and shout at her, but some part of him knew that this wasn't going to do any good, and he knew it was far better to say nothing.

She was still his wife and he didn't want to shout at her when he was so angry but he was just dying to let out all of his anger and pain.

When he looked at her, she couldn't meet his eyes and she looked down at the floor.

Tosh and Owen started walking towards the doors and it took Lily a moment to realise, but once she did, she followed along after them. She heard footsteps behind them, and Jack had heaved himself out of the chair and started to follow them.

Owen cleared his throat, " Gwen and Ianto are alright then? " he asked, " and Rhys? "

Lily was anxious to know how her friends were and she watched Tosh nod as she and Owen walked on in front of her.

Tosh replied, " They're fine. They're all fine. "

Owen glanced around at Lily and then asked Tosh, " How much have you told her? "

" What, Gwen? " Tosh asked, sounding awkward, " I ... I told her about Stephen but not ... "

She trailed off and Lily sighed, " But not about me losing the baby," she said, " you're allowed to say it, you know. I don't have an aversion to the very words. "

Tosh nodded, and as they all got outside, Johnson was waiting for them.

Lily was barely aware of what was happening as Johnson said something to Jack. The next thing she knew, they were standing in front of a large black car, like a big taxi, and Owen slid back the large door.

He stepped back and allowed the ladies to get in first - there were four seats. Two side by side, and the other two side by side, facing the first two.

Tosh and Lily got in first, sitting opposite each other, and Owen got in and looked between the two women, deciding where to sit, before choosing to sit next to Lily. He was worried about how Jack and Lily were going to be together from now on, and they all felt an overwhelming tension as Jack took a seat beside Tosh, facing Owen.

They all knew it was only just beginning - she and Jack had a big argument to have and they knew that with Jack and Lily's personalities, they'd definitley have a lot to talk through.

The journey home was two and a half hours by car, and altough Lily was very very tired, she couldn't sleep.

She just kept looking out of the window, trying to clear her mind, though all she could think about was how unfair she'd been to Jack, and how much her husband was going to hate her now.

No-one spoke for the entire journey - Jack and Lily were trying not to look at each other at all, and Jack's jaw was set angrily, like he was so close to the breaking point. Owen and Tosh felt the horrible atmosphere too and felt like they couldn't talk, and they were also struggling to come to terms with what had happened - the fact that their Torchwood had been destroyed, every child in the world had nearly been taken, and they'd had to make the awful choice to sacrifice a child for the rest to live.

Lily wanted nothing more than to curl up in a ball and for all of this to be over - for it never to have happened.

She couldn't sleep because she was wide awake, but still shattered and she didn't know what she was supposed to do.

She was so lost in her own world and oblivious to everything else, that she didn't even realise when the car stopped. The entire journey had gone by in silence - with the terrible atmosphere between Jack and Lily, neither Owen nor Tosh dared to speak.

She only realised what was going on when Tosh touched her arm tentatively, " Lily? "

Lily looked up quickly when she realised what was going on, and she nodded and got out of the car. Jack was speaking to the driver, as he stood beside the drivers door, while Owen stood on the pavement, outside the block of flats where Ianto lived.

Ianto lived in a good sized 3rd floor apartment, and Tosh and Lily went to join Owen on the pavement.

Lily looked back to the car, and watched as the car drove away, leaving Jack standing there. He met her eyes for only a second and then he looked away.

Lily hurt, when he did that. She loved him so much and he couldn't even look at her.

She didn't know what to do.

Before any of them could move, Owen sighed, " Come on," he said, " let's go up to meet those lot. "

He opened the door before realising he didn't actually know where Ianto's flat was, but Tosh pushed in front of him and led the way to the 3rd floor. She pressed the buzzer in the hallway, and instead of a voice replying to let them in, the door swung open.

An extremely tense Ianto looked very relieved when he saw them and the four of them walked into his flat.

He led them through to the living room quietly, where Gwen and Rhys were sitting on the floor. Lily felt so relieved to see her friends though she still felt quite numb and didn't really know what to do.

Gwen and Rhys immediately got to their feet and as everyone looked at each other, they knew everyone was tired and exhausted, and as Ianto looked at Lily, he knew something was very wrong - something deep down. She looked haunted and he knew there must be something going on.

Gwen was the first to make a move and she moved towards Jack, mumbling a useless commiseration about Stephen's death, and hugging him. Jack didn't look too impressed but he thanked her, nodding and returning her hug.

This seemed to open up the way between them all, and Tosh hugged Ianto, before Owen moved forwards and clapped a hand to Ianto's back in some kind of manly hug, while Rhys told Jack it was good to see them again.

Lily meanwhile, stood there with her arms wrapped around her upper body, hugging herself.

As Gwen and Rhys sat back down on the sofa, Owen and Tosh sitting on the floor in front of them, talking to them. Ianto approached Lily, who was standing further away from the others, on the edge of Ianto's kitchen, but was joined to his living room, where they were all currently.

" Hey," he smiled, " it's so good to see you. "

Everyone was watching - Gwen thought it odd that Lily wasn't full of her usual enthusiasm, and she looked completely haunted.

Jack watched his wife, and Ianto, with cold eyes.

Lily nodded and Ianto reached out to hug her. She sighed heavily and she reached out and wrapped her arms around him tightly, closing her eyes as he hugged her - a hug was exactly what she needed and she'd gotten so much closer to Ianto over the past few days, as he and Owen had looked after her.

She clung to him, and he sensed exactly how needy she was.

" What's going on? " he asked when he broke apart from her, also noticing the distance between she and Jack, when they were usually so cuddly and loved up, even in difficult situations.

Lily shook her head and Ianto was suspicious.

He let go of her and folded his arms as he considered her, " Lily? " he asked.

She shook her head, " Don't," she said, frowning.

Ianto still thought it was odd and he had a really bad feeling about it. He looked back at the others and saw the looks on Owen and Tosh's faces and he saw that Jack was staring at the opposite wall - this was really wrong.

Lily didn't want to tell the others, but she knew she'd have to tell them at some point, and she bit down on her lip nervously.

" I lost the baby," she said quietly.

Immediately, Gwen, Ianto and Rhys stared at her, all stunned.

" Oh Lily," Ianto said softly, moving forwards and gathering her in his arms before she could even protest. Lily clung to him again and this time couldn't stop the tears - Ianto was so lovely and sweet and she couldn't help herself.

Gwen eyes immediately turned to Jack and she could tell from the look on his face that he was furious - clearly he hadn't known anything about this baby until it was too late, and he was livid.

As she sobbed, she tried to stop herself and Jack looked over at she and Ianto.

He couldn't bear any of it, and he didn't know what to do or what to say. He was so furious and even though he knew she was hurting, he was still furious and he couldn't bring himself to console her- he was hurting too.

He was barely aware of what he was doing when he stalked across the room and for a tense moment, as he neared Ianto and Lily, Owen thought he was going to grab hold of Lily, but instead, he stormed out of the room.

When the door slammed loudly, Lily looked up to see what was going on and she let go of Ianto and started towards the door, wiping her hand on the back of her hand, once she realised Jack had left.

" Wait! " Owen said, taking a step after her, " don't go after him. "

She whirled around to face him, her eyes red and her face pale, " Don't go after him? " she demanded, " are you serious? My husband's just walked out on me because I didn't tell him that I was pregnant, and then I went into Thames House and our baby died. I have to go after him and talk to him. "

" No, darlin', no," Owen said softly, " emotions are running really high now - we've got to give chance to go off and cool down - you can't talk to each other when you're both so upset. He'll come back soon, he just needs some time to himself. "

Lily was scared that he'd never come back, and that she'd blown it.

" Come on," Ianto said, pointing her towards an armchair, " sit down. I'll make everyone a drink and we can fill each other in on what happened while we got seperated. "

Lily nodded and sat in the chair.

While Owen and Tosh filled Gwen, Rhys and Ianto in on what had happened with Stephen, Lily felt even more upset - not only had she lost her own baby, she'd had a part in the death of Jack's grandson. Her eyes were trained on the door, hoping he'd come in any moment now, but he didn't.

Gwen, Rhys and Ianto told Owen, Tosh and Lily how they'd gone to Ianto's sister and her family and had to do a mad dash around, trying to save the children from soldiers who persued them, until suddenly the 456 left.

When they'd all exchanged stories of what had happened, they all fell silent.

They sat in silence for a few minutes, all shocked and completely stunned by what had happened over the last few days, and all feeling terrible that their leader had stormed out.

Eventually, Owen spoke, " Speaking as a doctor," he said, " I'd say we've all been up for far too long - we need to sleep. "

Gwen nodded, laying her hand on her stomach - she felt extremely sorry for Lily and for Jack, and hoped the couple would get through it - she was sure they could get through anything, but Jack had now been gone for over an hour and no-one knew where he was.

" I suppose we really _should _all sleep," Rhys said, standing up and reaching for Gwen's hand, wanting nothing more than to go home.

" But what happens next? " Tosh said, " the hub was blown up in the blast - I don't think there's anything left. What do we do? "

Lily looked up, speaking for the first time in a long time, " We're still Torchwood," she said quietly.

Ianto nodded, " Absolutely. "

Owen nodded too, " How about we meet again tomorrow? Maybe we can all go to the wreckage together - see ecactly how bad it is, see what can be salvaged, decide what we're going to do next. "

Gwen nodded too, " If we get in touch with UNIT, I'm sure they'll help us get back on our feet, but for now, we could all use some rest. "

Lily sniffed, running her hand through her hair - she wanted life to go back to how it was before and she was terrified because she didn't know what was going to happen next, and what she could do.

She agreed that the rest of the team should go home and rest, but she didn't know what she should do.

She wanted to go and look for Jack, find him, tell him she was very very sorry and beg him for forgiveness, but she had no idea where he'd be.

As Gwen and Rhys started putting coats on, and Owen stood up, reaching his hand down to Tosh, Lily looked around the room, all wide eyed and scared.

" I don't have a home to go to," she realised, speaking quietly, " it was blown up. Blown up with the hub - all of my things - everything. " She stared at the carpet, " it's all such a mess, what am I supposed to do? "

Tosh was about to offer to let her stay with her when Ianto said, from beside her, " You should stay here tonight, Lily. You're already here, and you're in a terrible state - you've got to stay here. "

" I should probably go and look for Jack," Lily said, standing up slowly.

" No," Owen said sharply, " you've no idea where he is, and he needs to cool off, and you need to rest. "

" But what am I supposed to _do? " _Lily demanded, tears threatening to spill again.

" Listen," Owen said, stepping forwards, " you're going to stay here and sleep in Ianto's spare room, because you need lots of rest after everything that's happened. Then tomorrow, I'm going to come by and check on you, and we're all going to meet here for lunch. We'll go down to the hub and see what we can salvage or what we should do next. "

" What about Jack? " Lily asked in a small voice.

" He'll come back here to you, once he's cooled off," Owen told her, " and maybe tomorrow you could ring your dad too - he'll come and look after you. "

Lily almost started crying again at the thought of having to tell her dad all about it - her dad was always so lovely and sympathetic but she couldn't stand seeing him, and having to tell him she'd gotten pregnant and then been stupid enough to go into Thames House and lose it, stupid enough to doubt jack's feelings, and initially keep it from him. And she definitley didn't want to tell him they'd sacrificed a child, even if if was to save all the other children.

She'd tried to ring him so many times throughout the week and had no signal on her phone, which was wrong because she had a superphone -somehow the 456 had managed to interfere and she couldn't get in touch with him.

He hadn't been around to save the world - no doubt he'd been off saving some other planet, with Rose, who he was so happy with since been reunited with.

" I can't ring my dad," she said, shaking her head.

" You'll ring him tomorrow," Owen said, " you know he's always there for you. "

Though Owen didn't know the doctor particularly well, if there was one thing he did know, it was that Lily needed her dad when she was down.

" I want Jack," Lily sighed, running her hand through her hair.

" Please try and get some sleep," Owen said.

Lily nodded, though she didn't feel like sleeping, and she allowed Owen to pull her into a hug. She also hugged Tosh and even Gwen, and was soon left alone with Ianto.

Ianto didn't really know what to do, but he decided the best thing to do was settle down and try to get some sleep, since everyone was tired and they'd been through a lot.

He looked at Lily to see that her face was completely blank and she just looked completely numb.

He showed her through to the spare bedroom and he found her some blankets to sleep with. Then, he left her in the bedroom while he went to find her some spare clothes because he decided she'd been in the same clothes for too long and needed to try and relax.

He brought her back a pile of clothes and held them out awkwardly.

" Sorry," he said, " downside of living on my own - the only clothes around here are my 's a pair of old jogging bottoms and a shirt. They'll be far too big for you, but it's better than - "

" It's great," smiled Lily, " I'm just so grateful that you're letting me stay. "

" It's no trouble," Ianto said, " I know you're worried about the future. Just focus on getting some sleep and by the time you wake up, Jack will be back. From there you can talk, and we'll see where we can go with the hub. "

Lily nodded, " Thanks, Yan. "

Ianto nodded, " I'll leave you to it. I'll see you in the morning- feel free to just get up and please yourself in the morning. Help yourself to anything in the kitchen, make yourself feel at home. "

Lily nodded, her eyes and face still a bit blank, " Thanks Yan. "

Ianto nodded again and then left the room.

When she was left alone, Lily sunk down onto the bed, reaching for the blanket Ianto had given her and pulling it to her. She closed her eyes and hoped everything would be alright as tears began to fall.


	14. Argument

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

Chapter Fourteen

Lily cried herself to sleep that night, hoping that Jack would come back.

Even when she did get to sleep, she didn't manage to sleep much and she got up early the next morning. She wandered into Ianto's kitchen and living room, feeling lost, and she sat down on the sofa, pulling her knees up to her chest and wrapping her arms around them.

She rested her chin on her knees, not knowing what to do and every time she closed her eyes, se could see herself losing the baby, and she could see Stephen dying. She could see the look on Jack's face when he stormed out of Ianto's place the night before.

It was all driving her crazy and she tried to push it out of her mind by getting up and wandering across to the coffee table where Ianto had several books all piled up high.

She picked a book up at random - some kind of crime fiction thriller - and sat down again, opening it up.

She started reading the book but didn't take any of the words in because she was far, far too distracted.

She heard movement from in the bedroom and knew it was Ianto getting up. She heard him wander around the bedroom and some ten minutes later, the bedroom door opened and he came out of his bedroom, wearing a pair of shorts and an old looking t-shirt, smiled in her direction, and went straight into the bathroom.

A few minutes later, he came out of the bathroom in a smart-ish checked shirt and a pair of jeans - a far cry from his usual suits- and he smiled at her as he walked straight over to the kitchen.

" Morning," he said, trying to give her a big bright smile to raise her spirits.

" Morning sweetie," she said, trying to raise a smile for him.

He was about to ask her if she'd slept well, but he already knew the answer, and instead, he asked, " Do you want a coffee? "

She sighed heavily, " Oh, that'd be lovely," she said, " that's just what I need. "

Ianto nodded and he set about making them both a coffee. When he'd made them both, he carried them from the kitchen counter to the living area and handed one to her, making her smile gratefully.

Lily felt so grateful to have friends like Ianto and she knew he was trying his best to help her, when it seemed so obvious that she was falling apart, and she wouldn't be able to look after herself.

She took a sip of the coffee and when Ianto sat down beside her, she sighed and looked at him sideways.

" I'm a mess, aren't I, Ianto? "

" Don't be silly," he replied, " you've been through something terrible. "

Lily nodded, " Do you think he's coming back? "

" Jack? " Ianto asked, before immediately telling her, " of _course _he is. He just needed a bit of time to cool down, and he's going to come back, tell you he was stupid for runing off, kiss you and tell you it's all ok. "

" He's not," Lily told him, her fingers curling around the mug firmly, " he's going to come back and kill me. "

" He's not. "

She and Ianto sat in silence for a while and they were both lost in their own thoughts. Lily wasn't sure how long they'd been sat there, she trying to read the book and Ianto picking up another and idly turning the pages, trying to read it.

Lily had no idea how long they'd been there before Ianto got up, " I'm going to go to the shops," he said, " they're only down the road, I won't be gone long. "

" Wait," said Lily, quickly reaching out and grabbing hold of his arm in a panic, " where are you going? "

He smiled and took hold of her hand, loosening her grip on his arm and taking her hand off his arm with a smile, " It's ok, Lily. I'm just going out to buy some essentials - milk and bread, and I'm going to see if I can pick you some new clothes up too. "

" Clothes? " she asked.

" All we've got here are my clothes," he said, " and your only outfit that didn't get buried with the rest of the hub, got ruined when you - "

He broke off suddenly, and Lily finished for him, " Miscarried. "

He nodded, looking guilty, " I'm just going to buy you an outfit to be going on with - we'll have to see what happens when we explore the ruins of the hub - which I hear are all taped up now, and have been left. UNIT seem to have got in touch with the local police and told them to tape it off and leave it. But for now I'm going to go buy you something to wear - I know clothes are pretty low on the priority, but you need to at least have one outfit. "

Lily nodded.

" I'll be quick," Ianto promised her, " I know you're worried and you're scared, but you'll be safe here, won't you? Yeah? "

Lily was hesitant - she was scared about being on her own, but thought she'd be ok. She was in a flat which would be locked and she'd be ok. She still felt numb and scared and couldn't believe everything that had happened.

She laid her hand on her flat stomach, and sighed as she wished as hard as possible that her baby was still there - that Jack was here too - that everything was normal.

She didn't want to hold Ianto back and she nodded, " Ok. But you'll be back soon? "

" Course," Ianto said, reaching out to her with one hand.

He felt extremely protective of her and as he looked at her, he knew she was tired, absolutely shattered. Her face and hair were dirty and she looked terrible.

" How about you go get a shower? " Ianto suggested, tucking some of her hair behind her ear, " help yourself to anything in the bathroom. Take a nice long shower, and by the time you're done, I'll be back with some clothes. Take your time. It's ok. "

Lily felt like a lost little child, and she nodded.

Ianto left the flat, locking the door behind him and Lily went to get a shower.

As she stood in the shower and the hot water cascaded down her body, all she could think about was Jack. She was so worried that he'd never ever come back, and she started thinking about all the things they'd gone through.

He'd always been there for her - she'd been through such tough times and he was there for her, always.

She felt close to crying, as all she could think about was her beloved husband. She'd never thought it possible to love someone as strong as she loved Jack, but she did. Her world revolved around him and she knew that she couldn't face a life without him.

She hated herself so much and she didn't know what to do.

When she finally turned off the water, she heard movement in the flat somewhere and she knew that Ianto was back from the shops, which led her to wonder exactly how long she'd been in that bathroom.

As nice as it was to get clean, a shower hadn't helped her to relax and she was still panicking about her relationship with Jack.

In the living room, Ianto heard the water from the bathroom stop, and he wandered over to the bathroom door. He hammered on the door and called, " Lily? It's me - I brought you some clothes. "

Inside the bathroom, Lily felt relieved.

At a time like this, clothes were of little comfort to her, but she felt grateful to know that Ianto was at least trying to do something for her, however small it was.

It was practical at least, even if it wasn't going to solve any of her problems.

She felt grateful that out of all her friends, Ianto was the one who'd taken her in. She knew any of them would, but there were advantages to living with Ianto over the others.

Mainly, Ianto was organised and extremely effiecent and he knew how to take care of people. Ianto knew she was falling apart inside and so he'd decided to take care of everyday life for her, so she could focus on her thoughts and feelings.

She wrapped a towel around her body and opened the bathroom door a crack, sticking out her hand. Ianto respectfuly averted his eyes away from the door and put the carrier bag of clothes in her hand.

When Lily had taken the clothes from him, she felt even more grateful, and she got changed.

When she came out of the bathroom, she tried to raise a smile for Ianto, though she found it difficult, and it came out as some kind of grimace.

" Thanks sweetie," she said, her voice devoid of all of the usual brightness and cheer, " they're perfect - just my kind of thing. "

Ianto inclined his head towards her from where he was stood behind the kitchen counter, " I've got a good eye. "

Lily nodded. Ianto had, as quickly and efficently as usual, picked up exactly what he wanted. Lily was now wearing a knee length beige skirt, and a thin peach jumper, pretty peach pumps, and a long beige trenchcoat.

" You're a good man, Ianto," Lily said, " thank you. "

Ianto nodded, " You can stay for as long as you need to. In fact, I insist. "

Lily tried once more, to raise a smile.

As Ianto opened his mouth, there was a loud buzzing sound, and he looked towards the door, where a keypad was next to the door.

" Someone wants to come in," he said.

" Jack? " Lily asked hopefully, eyes darting towards the keypad.

" Could be," Ianto nodded, walking over to the door.

Lily's heart pounded ten times after than usual and she felt more nervous than she could ever remember having felt. All she wanted was for she and her husband to be happy again, to have a home, and for things to be back the way they had been.

Ianto pushed the button, " Yeah? "

" It's me," came the unmistakable american accent, " is Lily there? "

Lily's heart pounded even faster at the sound of her husband's voice - he sounded quite tense and she started to worry about what was going to happen next, but she was so relieved that he'd come back looking for her.

" Yes," Ianto replied, before looking at Lily by means of a question. When Lily nodded, Ianto pressed the button and added, " come up. "

The very next second, Ianto's mobile rang.

" You're popular," said Lily, her voice completely without any emotion.

Ianto nodded and looked down at the screen, " It's Owen - he rarely ever calls. " He answered the phone, " Hello? ... yeah, we're in ... you are? ... hang on, no, because Jack's on his way up, and we should leave him and Lily to it ... I'll meet you though ... yeah ... yeah ... ok then, just around the corner from there there's a coffee shop ... I'll meet you there in ten minutes ... alright, bye. "

Ianto hung up and started pulling on his coat as he told Lily, " Owen, Tosh and Gwen are almost here, so I'm going to go out and meet them to give you and Jack some space. If you need anything, just call me. We'll probably be at the coffee shop literally around the corner, but we might have gone to the bay to look at the wreckage. "

Lily nodded, feeling extremely nervous as there was a knock at the door.

" You'll be fine," Ianto said.

Lily nodded again, " Thank you," she mumbled, pulling the coat around her as she felt she needed some kind of support.

She stepped back, standing in the middle of the living area.

Ianto swung the door open and Lily watched as Jack swept into the flat without even speaking to Ianto.

Jack walked over to the kitchen, standing behind the breakfast bar and putting his hands on the counter, leaning against it. He looked her up and down as if he was surveying her, before looking away, staring at the opposite wall, and taking a deep breath, as if he was trying to pull himself together.

Ianto cleared his throat, " I'll be going to meet those three," he said.

Lily nodded, realising she was just staring at Jack, and she looked at Ianto, " Thank you, sweetie. I'll see you soon," she said.

When Ianto had left, Lily turned her eyes back to her husband.

He was just standing there, leaning against the breakfast counter, looking at the opposite wall as if he was trying to keep himself calm and gather himself together before speaking to her.

Lily wanted to know what was going on, and she was eager to make up with Jack. She thought they could talk it all through and get on, but then she started to worry that Jack would get mad and they wouldn't get through this.

" Jack? " Lily prompted, biting down on her lip as she took a step towards him.

His eyes met hers and she saw that his were full of pain and anger, and he saw that hers were full of pain and sorrow.

" Where have you been all night? " she asked, almost whispering, " I was so worried. "

" Were you? " Jack asked, as though he didn't believe her, " well, I was just out walking. I really needed some time. "

He didn't add that as much as he was trying to remain calm, it wasn't happening. He felt like shouting and yelling at her, and grabbing her and telling her what a fool she was. He wanted to kill her in some ways, and he didn't know how to deal with that. He'd thought going for a walk had solved it, had calmed him down, but he now realised he'd come back soon and he was still furious.

Lily nodded in response.

Jack had to admit that he was a bit curious - Lily looked like she'd had a wash, and she'd gotten clothes from somewhere, but he'd actually thought she'd have stayed at Tosh or Owen's.

" You stayed here? " he asked her.

She nodded, " Ianto and the others insisted upon it. "

Jack nodded and said nothing more, once again looking slightly past her, at the opposite wall.

Lily observed him, and she felt so much pain. She absolutely adored him and was devoted to him - he was her soulmate, her best friend - he was everything - yet this was all going so wrong and she'd never felt further away from him.

After almost a full minute of silence, she decided she'd had enough.

They were going to have to face this at some point and she asked, " Did you come here just to give me the silent treatment? "

" No. "

It seemed like he was making a very big effort to control himself and after his one word, he ran a hand through his short hair, before running his hand down his face and then throwing it outwards as he turned to her and finally demanded,

" Why did you do it? "

Lily swallowed, hard, not sure how to answer the question. She knew exactly what he meant but she wanted time to think and she wanted some kind of clarification, " It? " she repeated.

He nodded, and as an angry glint flashed in his eyes, she knew they'd started - they'd opened up the gates and it wouldn't be long before one of them snapped, and this turned from the controlled conversation they were trying to have, to the heated argument she knew they were going to have.

His voice was cold and harsh as he folded his arms across as chest as he turned to face her, " Not tell me. " His voice rose and it felt like she was being interrogated, " You knew you were pregnant and you didn't tell me. I want to know why. "

Lily met his gaze slowly and said, " It's hard to explain. "

" Try," he said coldly.

" Hey," she said panicking a bit as she held up her hands, " I'm not trying to make excuses, but you need to know that it's not easy to explain. There was a _lot _going through my mind. "

" Enough not to tell me you were sodding pregnant! " Jack snapped.

Lily raised her eyebrows, " I thought you were here to listen, not to shout? "

" I'm here to get to the bottom of this, by any means neccessary," Jack told her, clearly all attempts at being reasonable, abandoned.

" Charming," Lily tutted, before taking a deep breath. She held up her hands by way of surrender and said, " You need to hear me out. "

He said nothing, just looking at her.

Lily started, " I was all over the place. For one thing, I thought you were dead! I watched the hub blow up, and I thought you were dead - for good. I was so upset, so emotional, and I didn't really know what was going on. I was so certain that you were dead, and then I found out that I was pregnant - I had no idea what to think, what to do. "

Jack was listening quietly, though he still looked furious.

" I didn't know if I wanted it," said Lily, admitting it all to him, " I was all over the place - we'd never spoken about children properly, I didn't think we'd be ready, didn't think we'd be any good, didn't think you'd want a child. "

Jack raised his eyebrows - it was a lot of information to take it.

" You didn't think we'd be any good? " he asked, " that's why you kept it secret? "

" Secret? " she scoffed, " I only just found out about it, and it was only a few days before you found out. "

Jack sighed, " We'd have learnt to be good parents! " he snapped after a pause, " and as for not thinking I'd want the baby - well, that's ridiculous. I'd have loved something that was half me, and half you - loved it! I mean, it's a baby, Lily! A baby! I'd have loved it - it might have been a shock but I'd have soon gotten over it - I'd have loved it! I'd have been a father! "

His hands were on his hips now and he'd taken an angry stride forwards.

" I thought - " Lily started, before stopping.

" Thought? " Jack prompted.

Lily bit her lip, knowing she needed to tell him, and she met his eyes, " I planned on telling you, you know. In the warehouse, I sat in your lap. We were talking about kids and you gave me every reason to believe that you wouldn't want children right now. "

Jack raised his eyebrows, unsure.

" You did, so don't dare say you didn't," she said quickly, " you sort of laughed and said something about how chaotic it would be to have a child at Torchwood - how it would get in the way of us chasing aliens around. That you didn't want children for about a hundred years! "

" It would have been different if I'd known you were pregnant! " Jack said, " I'd have felt differently, Lily! "

Lily shook her head, " You've got to understand how I felt Jack - it was so confusing for me and I really don't think you're being fair! I thought you wouldn't want the baby! I thought it would get in the way of your life - I thought it would ruin your life, if I'm honest. "

" Ruin my life? " Jack demanded, taking another stridde forwards, " ruin my life? "

He was raising his voice and she was starting to get a bit scared as she took a small step backwards, " Listen," she said quickly, " you don't understand what it was like! You _love _Torchwood, and you love chasing aliens, and so do I. I know exactly how much it means to you and just how much you love the thrill of chasing aliens, caputuring dangerous creatures, the whole lot. I thought having a baby would mean you'd have to slow a lot of that down, and you'd resent the baby for that - you wouldn't want a baby because it would mess up your lifestyle, and you love it like it is now. You gave me _every _reason to think you wouldn't want a baby! "

" It would have been diffrerent if I'd known you were pregnant! " Jack shouted, taking another step forwards, and forcing her to take a step back.

She was starting to get quite scared now, and her back hit the wall.

" You don't understand," Lily shouted at him, shaking her head, eyes wide.

" Let me get this straight," Jack said, hands still on his hips as he took aonther step forwards, the space between them very small now as their fury at each other built, " you were too scared to tell me about our baby because you thought I wouldn't want it? Is this for real! "

" Well, you gave me reason to think so! " Lily shouted at him.

Jack looked a bit hurt and he shook his head in disgust, " I cannot believe you, you know. You're scared of me, are you, Lily? That's how it is, is it? You're _scared _of me, now? "

" You don't understand! " Lily shouted at him, as he tried to close the space between them, " I thought you were dead, I was absolutely in pieces, and I didn't know where I was. I found out that I was pregnant and I struggled to process the information because I was so overwhelmed - you're going to have to accept that. I didn't tell you straight away because I was so all over the place. Millions of different things were going through my mind, so you'll have to excuse me if I didn't tell you the minute we were reunited - we were also a bit busy, saving the blody world, as usual. "

Jack nodded and he said, " Ok," though he still looked furious, " let's say I accept that you were so overwhelming and it was a tense situation and you didn't know what to do for the best. Let's say I accept all that - then what about the fact that you knew you were pregnant and you went into Thames House? "

Lily shook her head, her eyes beginning to water, " Don't you dare," she said, " don't you dare say that it was my fault. "

Jack raised an eyebrow.

" Don't you dare! " snapped Lily, reaching out about to push him in the chest, push him away because she was so angry with him and she had just about enough of it all.

Jack was red and he reached out and laid his hands on her shoulders, gripping quite firmly as he looked at her, " You went into Thames House, knowing it would be dangerous, knowing you were carrying our baby! The radiation killed our baby, Lily, and if you hadn't gone in there, you wouldn't have lost the baby! "

" Don't you think that I don't know that? "

Jack pushed her back against the wall quite roughly as she tried to push him off her, and she relented and stayed still, glaring at him furiously.

" I don't need you to lecture me! " she spat.

" Clearly, you do! " Jack growled, angrier than she'd ever seen him, and she was just as angry too, " you went into something that dangerous, knowing we'd be facing the 456, knowing you were pregnant! "

" Oh, I hardly knew I'd lose it! " she snapped, " d'you think I did it on purpose? Don't you know me at all? "

" No," he snapped, " I don't think I do know you. " As she tried to push him back again, he kept his hands on her shoulders, pinning her to the wall, " stop trying to get away! We need to talk about this! "

" But this isn't talking! This is you shouting, and accusing, and you're not so damned perfect yourself! " she shouted.

Jack looked so furious and he didn't know what to say.

" I'm sorry, alright! " Lily shouted, closing her eyes, " I'm sorry, I'm sorry, and I don't know how many more times I can say it - _obviously _I didn't mean to lose the baby. If I'd known what kind of danger lied within Thames House, I never would have gone in there - "

" But the point is, you shouldn't have risked it at all! " Jack said, shaking her shoulders a little.

From so close up, he looked truly terrifying but Lily was equally angry and she wasn't going to backed into a corner. She knew he was so furious, and she thought he had a right to be upset and mad, but she thought he was being unfair - this wasn't upset, it was just anger, and she was beginning to think that although she'd been wrong, a lot of her behaviour was justified by being in such a new and terrible situation.

Jack meanwhile, was so far past the point of anger that he was barely aware of what he was saying and he was still so upset that he'd not managed to process everything, and sit down and have a think about it.

Had he thought about it, he might have realised that he was being unfair, that she'd been through a lot, and that she was grieving too. That she'd put up with a lot from him too. But as it was, he hadn't thought about it.

" Do you know what the worst part is? " Jack asked.

" I'm not sure I want to know," Lily mumbled.

Jack saw red when he realised she wasn't listening and he shook her shoulders a bit, pulling her towards him a bit and giving her shoulders a shake, " Listen, for God's sake! " He was barely aware of what he was doing as he shook her shoulders again, " you know what upsets me the most? The fact that my own wife was too scared to tell me she was pregnant because she thought I'd fly off the handle at her, despite the fact that she _knows _that I love her! And you know what angers me most? The fact that if you'd bloody well told me you were pregnant, I could have kept you safe! Both of you! I sent Gwen home, annd she was safe. If you'd just bloody told me, I could have protected you and our baby! "

Lily felt like she was panicking, and she felt like she was being stifled.

She tried to push him backwards, and she said, " I can't listen to this anymore. "

" Well someone needs to sodding tell you! " Jack snapped.

Lily shook her head and gave him a shove again, and this time he relented, quickly letting go of her as if she'd burnt him.

She pushed past him and strode into the middle of the room, before turning around with her hands on her hips.

" I've had just about enough of I can take from you, Jack Harkness! " she snapped, " I'll accept that you're upset and you're angry, and I agree you've every right to be, but you're going too far! I can't listen to you any more - I've tried to listen to you, but you're being unfair! You seem to be forgetting that I'm not the only one at fault here! "

" You're not? " Jack asked, raising his eyebrows.

" Are you joking? " Lily demanded, " _you _were the one who gave those children away all those years ago - I forgave you for that! You kept it secret from me for years, and I forgave you and stood by you because of our love! "

" That's another thing! " Jack said, sapping his fingers as he suddenly remembered something, " when I told you about the children in 1965, we agreed no more secrets, and you agreed to that, while all the time keeping the baby a secret - how can you be trusted after that? "

" Woah! " Lily said, holding up her hand, " How dare you? You're saying you don't trust me now? This is ridiculous! And I'm not finished with you, anyway. Firstly, I forgave you for giving the children away in 456 and for keeping it secret. I forgave you for running off and meeting with Frobisher, leaving me wondering where you were all night! I followed you to Thames House even after finding out about you giving away the children! And even when you couldn't look at me, I took part responsibility for Stephen's death. I think you need to think about that! "

Jack sighed heavily and folded his arms, still looking furious, " I can't even think about you the same, Lily. "

" Seriously? " she demanded, equally furious by now.

He bit his lip, looking down and looking back up again, " I can't even look at you the same. "

Lily couldn't believe he'd just said that, and she almost flinched at the words. She shook her head before storming towards the door, making her mind up in a split second.

As she wrenched the door open she looked over her shoulder at him, " I've had enough. "

When the door slammed behind her, Jack was left wondering what the hell would happen next, and on the other side of the door, Lily's tears were already falling, and she couldn't make sense of anything.


	15. Daddy

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

Chapter Fifteen

When Lily left the flat, slamming the door behind her, the tears started to fall. She furiously tried to wipe them away as she hurried down the stairs.

She was so angry with Jack and she thought he'd been far too harsh, although to some extent, she could accept it. She accepted that he was angry and upset, but he didn't seem to understand that she was too.

She vaguely wondered if she'd been too hasty in rushing off but she quickly pushed it out of her mind and convinced herself that this was exactly the right move.

Jack had upset her and angered her so much that she needed to get away from him.

By the time she got to the bottom of the stairs and left the building, she'd pulled her mobile out of her pocket, and she held it tightly.

Before she even knew what she was doing, she was dialling.

She lifted the phone to her ear and held her breath, hoping her dad would answer, as she leaned back against the wall, trying to wipe away the tears that were still falling.

She was in shock and she couldn't believe any of it.

When her dad answered with a " Hello?" she felt so relieved to hear him and she felt like a new wave of tears was about to come over her. She only wished he'd been around earlier, when she'd tried to ring him all those times and he hadn't answered.

" Dad," Lily breathed, barely able to alk as she clutched the phone tightly, " oh god, it's so good to hear you, I've been trying to get hold of you all week. Oh, Dad I - "

" Woah, darling," the Doctor said slowly, immediately picking up on the panic in his daughter's voice and knowing that something was wrong, " are you ok? "

Lily bit down on her lip hard, and tried to keep herself pulled together, but instead, she let out a sob and said, " Dad, it's all gone wrong. _Please _can you come and get me? "

The Doctor stood very still in the console room of the TARDIS, knowing that there was something very wrong with his daughter, and as a dad, all he wanted to do was get to her and make sure that she was alright.

His forehead creased in concern and he immediately said, " Don't worry, I'll come and get you. But you're okay, though? "

" Not really," she sniffed.

The panic in the Doctor's voice rose and he asked quickly, " Lily, you're starting to scare me now - are you hurt? "

She didn't know how to answer and she said, " I'm not dying or anything. I haven't broken anything. I'm ... Dad, I really need someone. So much has happened and ... it's all so horrible. "

" Ok, Ok, I'm coming," he promised.

He asked her when and where she was, and promised to be there in ten minutes.

Lily felt a small amount of comfort from the knowledge that her dad was coming to see her, and she felt like she needed him now more than ever. She was so scared that her relationship with Jack wouldn't survive this and she felt like she had to get away before they got into another argument.

It was all she could do back in Ianto's living room, not to slap Jack when he stood there, shouting at her. And when he'd had her pinned against the wall, shaking her, she wanted to kill him.

She was so relieved to know that her dad was coming for her, although she dreaded the thought of telling him everything that had happened.

She wandered through the streets towards the bay, which was only a couple of minutes away, walking, from Ianto's place.

She was devastated as she saw the extent of the damage the explosion had caused around the bay.

By UNIT's request, it had been roped off, and as Lily looked at it from a distance, there was rubble and bits of wreckage everywhere. It was devastating to know that those big bits of rubble and debris were parts of her home, and under all of that concrete, somewhere, was her home, her belongings, her everything.

She stood at the other side of the bay, a way off from the wreckage of concrete that hid the hub and where no-one could now go, since it had been so well cordoned off.

She stuffed her hands in her pockets, feeling lost, and she wasn't sure how long she'd been there before she heard the wonderfully familiar whoosing noise.

Before she knew what was happening, the TARDIS was materialising in front of her.

She felt a huge rush of relief, and as soon as it had fully materialised, the door flew open and a very worried looking Doctor appeared in the doorway.

He looked so relieved to see her and she sagged in relief too.

Barely aware of what she was doing, Lily darted forwards and threw her arms around him. Her father immediately returned the hug, crushing her in his embrace.

She's sounded so panicked on the phone and all he wanted to do was come and find her and look after her, and as he felt her cling to his jacket, burying her face against his chest, he looked around.

He was shocked when he realised that the bay just behind them was destroyed.

He realised in horror that under all that concrete and debris, was Torchwood Three.

He wondered what the hell had happened around here and as his daughter hugged him so tightly that it felt likely she was going to break his ribs, he knew it had something to do with the desecration of the hub, and the fact that her husband was nowhere to be seen.

He looked over his shoulder to see Rose, the love of his life, who he'd been reunited with six months ago, stepping out of the TARDIS, and also looking around in horror.

Rose met the Doctor's eyes, her expression one of complete shock and he simply shook his head at her.

Lily didn't feel like ever letting go of her dad and she didn't know how long she'd clung to him like a limpet, before he took control and tried to prise her from him.

He planted a gentle but firm kiss on her forehead before managing to loosen her arms around him and he took a step back.

" Now," he said, looking around before looking back at her - she was clearly in a terrible state, she looked like she'd been crying buckets too. " Tell me what's going on. "

" It's a long story," Lily said weakly.

" Where's Jack, Lily? " Rose asked, " where is everyone? "

It was broad daylight and hardly any humans wandered around.

The whole world had been shaken by the 456 and people didn't want to leave their homes. Lily had no doubt that the stupid humans would eventually put it down to some kind of mass hallucination, but to the people of Cardiff, there was no mistaking that some kind of bomb had hit the bay.

By now, police were gathered around the cordoned off rubble of the hub, and Ianto had earlier informed Lily that they had orders not to touch anything - UNIT were going to send some people in to help Torchwood get themselves back on track.

" Lily, where's Jack? " the Doctor prompted.

At Jack's name, she almost flinched - a move which both the Doctor and Rose noticed. Rose was stunned to see Lily in such a state - she'd only seen her this numb and upset all that time ago on the game station, when she thought Jack was dead for all those months.

Of course, Lily had also been like this during all those months where the Master abused her -that had been her lowest point ever, and he'd turned her into a shadow of a woman whom he could easily push around. Rose knew a little about the Year That Never Was, from the Doctor, but the Doctor hadn't told her the more horrific details.

Rose considered that the last time she'd seen Lily was five months ago, human time, when the Doctor and Rose picked them up from their honeymoon and brought them home, where they were ridiculously loved up.

" We've ... sort of fallen out," Lily answered.

" Fallen out? " the Doctor echoed.

Lily nodded, " It's a long story. I've been trying to get hold of you all week. Rose, your mum's been after you all week too. Its ... you won't believe everything that's happened. "

Rose and the Doctor exchanged looks and the Doctor said, " Come in, darling, we should talk. "

Lily nodded and allowed her dad - who probably held the title for being the most protective and loving father, ever - to take her hand and tug her towards the TARDIS.

Rose looked around, wondering what kind of devastation had been caused around here. She pulled out her phone, which for some reason, had refused to take calls for the last couple of day, and after turning it on, found she had over ten missed calls from her mum.

After coming back from the parallel universe, Rose's mum, parallel dad, and younger brother, had chosen to live on earth and they now lived in Cardiff, though they lived on the other side of town from the hub because they didn't want to be constantly plagued by Torchwood and be running into Jakc and Lily, but it was convienient to be close to the rift as this was where the Doctor and Rose had to keep coming back to refuel.

" Doctor," Rose said, worried about what had happened around here, " I think I should go see my mum, just for a bit. D'you think there's time? "

The Doctor nodded, stopping in the doorway of the TARDIS, a tight hold on his daughter's hand. He understood the importance of family more than he understood anything else, and he said, " Yeah. Lily and I are going to have a chat. We might be a while. "

Rose smiled - the kind of soft smile that Lily supposed was reserved only for the man she loved - and moved forwards, leaning upwards and giving the Doctor the briefest of kisses.

The Doctor kissed her back and Lily smiled a little, glad that the pair of them were happy together.

When Rose had gone, after the Doctor made her promise to call him soon, the father and daughter went into the TARDIS, and the Doctor closed the door behind them.

" Now, darling," he said, turning to his daughter, who was so obviously in pain and upset, " you look like you need your daddy, but for me to help you, you need to tell me what's going on. "

Lily nodded, running her free hand through her hair.

" I don't even know where to begin. "

The Doctor nodded, " Ok," he said calmly, " well, for one, what the hell's happened to the bay? Two, why have you been trying to get hold of me all week? And three, why have you fallen out with Jack? On the phone, you said "it's all gone wrong". Tell me what's happened to you. "

His voice was so gentle and Lily needed him right now.

She sighed and looked around, before her eyes settled on one wall of the TARDIS.

She went over there, and her dad followed her. She sat down, feeling so fed up and still so tired, and he sat down beside her, their backs resting against the wall.

" I don't even know which bit to tell you first," she said, " I suppose the easiest thing to explain is the bay. A bomb was planted inside Jack, and he was in the hub when the bomb detonated. Ripped apart the whole hub. "

" A bomb _inside _Jack? " demanded the Doctor, " how the hell did _that _happen? "

" This is where it starts to get complicated," Lily sighed. " Now, do you want to know how the world nearly ended on my watch, or how my marriage might have just ended? "

The Doctor found it hard to believe that either of those had happened, and he felt some kind of anger boiling up inside of him as he thought of Jack - what had Jack done that was so serious, she wondered? How could this possibly be happening?

He thought Jack and Lily were completely solid, and after they'd been reunited just before the Year That Never Was, he'd come to see exactly how much the rogue captain loved Lily, and since then, he'd always given Jack his full approval.

He was convinced that Jack was the one perfect person for his daughter, and the only person good enough for her, after the amount of times he'd proved himself as a hero, after all.

He found it very hard to believe that Jack and Lily had had some kind of argument, especially one serious enough to make her doubt the state of their marriage.

The Doctor knew he'd kill Jack if Jack had done anything wrong. After everything Lily had been through, the Doctor thought she needed someone to look after her, and he trusted Jack absolutely.

If Jack had broken that trust of the Doctor, when there was nothing more precious to the Doctor than his beloved daughter, then the Doctor would not be happy.

He looked at his poor daughter who was usually so strong and happy, and he considered her question.

Did he want to know how the world had nearly ended, or how his daughter's marriage was in a state?

He took a moment to decide whether he first needed to hear about the rest of the world, or his daughter.

He was about to tell her he wanted to hear about her first, and the rest of the world afterwards, before she shook her head and told him,

" I'll tell you how it all started," she said, " oh daddy, it was horrible. "

The Doctor reached out and put his arm around her shoulders - her voice held so much desperation.

" It started six days ago," she started.

The Doctor listened with shock as his baby told him everything - the bomb planted in Jack, the hub being blown up, the children talking in unison, thinking Jack was dead. She told him how she, Ianto and Owen had gone to London, found Jack, and reunited with the rest of the team. She told him how they hacked into the government and watched as the 456 were revealed as aliens who wanted children. She told him how they'd watched the horrific people at the government agree to the demands to give away ten percent of all of the children. She told him how they went to Thames House and all those people died, how they got arrested, how they realised they'd have to do something to save the children. And then she told him, tears starting to fall, how they'd had to sacrifice Jack's own grandson.

" Come on darling," he said gently, as she looked up at him with big green eyes, "you didn't have any other choice, you were so brave to make that sacrifice," he assured her, wrapping his arm around her shoulders.

She leaned against him with a sniff, " It's a child, though. We ... we authorised the death of a child. We stood there, and this child had so much hope in me and Jack, and we stood there and watched him die. Jack's daughter will never speak to him again, I'm certain, and that poor child - "

" It was all you could do," the Doctor said, as she wiped away the tears that fell, " you were so brave, and it was one child, or millions, wasn't it? "

She nodded, " Still feels like we failed though - it was our fault. "

" Sometimes you have to let people die," the Doctor said, knowing only too well, " it's the only way sometimes, Lils. "

Lily sighed heavily and the Doctor said, " What about Jack, then? You've fallen out with him - is it about his grandson? He doesn't blame you, does he? Because grief affects people in different ways, and he has to remember that you both took on responsibility for it. It was very good of you, you know, to step forwards and say you wouldn't let Jack make the decision alone. You knew how much it would hurt him, and you tried to help him by taking on responsibility for it. "

" Don't," Lily said, shaking her head.

The Doctor merely raised his eyebrows by way of a question.

Lily took a deep beath as she thought of everything she had to tell him. " It's not about Stephen's death," she told him, " I think he knows deep down that there was no other way. It's ... god, how to tell you ... "

" It's ok," the Doctor said soothingly, his arm still wrapped around her, " you rang me because you needed me, and I'm here. Take your time. "

Lily felt certain that he was going to go mad.

" It started just before all of the chaos really kicked in," she said slowly, " I ... we'd just started to investigate and we all split up. I was with Ianto and Owen and they noticed how distracted I was, so I told them. I thought that I was pregnant. "

" Pregnant? "

The very word seemed to send the Doctor spinning off in some kind of daze. He stared at her in profile - she was still his baby, and he'd accepted the fact that she was married and he was happy that she was married. He often thought that he couldn't have parted with her to anyone more worthy.

But her being pregnant - that was something which he thought would take him a while to come to terms with . The thought of Jack daring to get Lily pregnant - the Doctor was so flustered that he seemed to forget that they were married and it was well within their rights.

" Pregnant? " he repeated, " you're pregnant? "

She sighed heavily.

The Doctor was completely stunned and Lily sighed and hung her head. The Doctor didn't notice her despair and he thought about it for a few more moments. Suddenly, a wide grin crossed his face - sure, she was his baby girl, but she wasn't actually a baby, and she was happily married. If she and Jack wanted to have a baby, then it was up to them.

For a moment, he allowed himself to get carried away, as he thought about Lily having a baby.

" Lily," he said, and she almost flinched when she heard the happiness in his voice, " I - "

" Stop," Lily said, shaking her head, " there is no baby. "

The Doctor's face fell, and he shrugged, " Oh," he said, " well, false alarm then but - "

" No," she said, shaking her head as their eyes met, " there _was _a baby. I ... " tears welled up in her eyes, " I lost it, Daddy. I miscarried. "

" Oh, no, darling," the Doctor said, as she nodded and tears started to fall again. He couldn't bear to see her cry and he wrapped her up in his arms, where they both sat on the floor.

She sobbed against him, and she wasn't sure when she'd be able to stop.

The Doctor felt a strange wave of emotions at this - he'd always thought he'd be furious with Jack for getting his daughter pregnant, but he knew deep down, he'd be overjoyed for them both, and even as she'd just said "pregnant" he'd allowed himself to start thinking about them both being happy with a baby.

The Doctor felt so much sympathy for her and he clung to her and stroked her hair as she sobbed against him. When she'd calmed somewhat, he said, " Oh Lils, I'm so sorry. "

She tried to wipe away her tears and the Doctor got the feeling that this story was far from over.

When she'd managed to stop crying for long enough, she shook her head, " You must think I'm such a mess. "

" You've every right to be a mess," he said, " just let it all out - tell me everything. "

She nodded, swallowing hard.

The Doctor said, " I still don't understand why you've fallen out with Jack, though. "

" It's not just an argument," she said quickly, " this is really serious. "

" But I just don't understand it," the Doctor said, still holding her close to him, trying to comfort her, " the pair of you have had some big argument because you've had a miscarriage? He'd better not be blaming you because if he is - "

" Wait," Lily sighed, " let me finish telling you. "

So she told him.

She told him how Owen had gotten her a test after the hub had blown up. How Owen and Ianto had been there for her when she found out she was pregnant. She told him how she'd initially felt like she didn't want the baby, but as she'd gone through the week she'd been so overwhelmed and she thought she actually might want it, and she wasn't sure what was going on.

She told him how scared she'd been to tell Jack because she wasn't sure how he'd feel about it, and also because they were so distracted by everything that was happening that week.

How she'd tried to bring up the issue of kids and he'd laughed it off and said kids would get in the way and he was sure they'd have kids some day but not now.

Then she told him how after Thames House, she'd started to get ill.

She told him how they'd been on their way to the prison when she started to get very bad stomach pains and Owen had realised she was miscarrying. How Jack had been furious that she hadn't told him she was pregnant.

She told him about their argument.

When she was done, the Doctor said, " Are you serious? He's ... he's blaming you for going into Thames House when you were pregnant, despite the fact you couldn't possibly have known about what was in there? And he's angry because you didn't tell him straight away? Doesn't he understand that you were so emotional and you had no idea what was going on? That -"

" Daddy," Lily sighed.

The Doctor groaned, " How exactly did the pair of you leave it? You can't go back in there and try to make it up? "

" He was horrible." Lily said, " I know I'm not blameless in all of this, but he was so awful. Really shouted at me. He told me if I hadn't gone to Thames House, our baby would still be alive. Said he didn't know me anymore. Said I couldn't be trusted, that he couldn't even think about me in the same way, could't even look at me the same. "

The Doctor felt the anger building up inside him and he couldn't believe that Jack could be so insensitive - poor Lily had obviously gone through a lot this week, as had everyone, with thinking he was permanently dead, and then having to deal with a pregnancy, and saving the world.

How dare Jack not realise all the pain he was causing Lily?

Lily did not deserve this, the Doctor immediately decided.

" I'm going to see him," the Doctor said immediately, " I'm going to talk some sense into him. "

He started to get to his feet and took hold of both of his daughter's hands, helping her to her feet. Her cheeks were red and blotchy from crying, and she was warm from all the crying and clinging to her dad for comfort.

She watched her dad pace around the console room and she pulled off the new coat Ianto had bought for her that morning, and draped it over the console.

As she did so, she was left in the pencil skirt, pretty pumps, and a sleeveless peach jumper.

The Doctor stopped pacing just in front of her, and he said, " I'm going to see Jack. Someone needs to give him a good talking to, and since I'm here - "

" Oh don't cause a fuss," Lily sighed, " please, can we just go away somewhere. "

" No! " the Doctor insisted, reaching out to tuck some of her hair behind her ear, " that man's upset my daughter, and I'm going to get to the bottom of it. I'm going to go around there and talk to him. He's way out of line. "

Lily sighed and as the protective Doctor lowered his hand from where he'd put her hair behind her ear, his attention was caught by a mark on one of her upper arms.

At first he thought nothing of it - after all, she had a mark and a scratch on her face that she'd explained had some from the explosion - but when he noticed a matching mark on the other upper arm, he thought there was something more to it.

" What are you looking at? " Lily asked curiously, trying to follow the line of his gaze.

The Doctor frowned, " What happened to your arms? "

He decided that the marks looked like someone had grabbed her quite roughly, and when she followed his gaze to the marks on her arms, she knew exactly where the marks had come from.

She pictured herself and Jack arguing back in Ianto's living room.

She remembered how angry Jack had got and how angry they'd been at each other. How he'd moved forwards, grabbing hold of her arms and backing her into the wall, shaking her as he shouted at her.

The look on her face told the Doctor exactly where the marks had come from, and he was stunned.

Lily didn't want Jack to get into trouble for this, because he'd genuinely not meant to hurt her and he wasn't anything like that. The Doctor's eyes flashed with anger.

" Did Jack leave those marks? " he demanded.

Lily shook her head, " It wasn't like that - he's not like that, and you know it. We were _both _mad at each other. "

" Right, I'm going to kill him," the Doctor said, before promptly leaving the TARDIS.

Lily rushed after him, and the Doctor was furious, breathing deeply and his hands stuffed deep i his pockets as he tried to calm himself, though it was no good.

" Jack didn't mean to hurt me," Lily said.

The Doctor shook his head, " I know he didn't mean to mark your skin, but he meant to hurt you by what he was saying, and it's unacceptable. He needs a good talking to - I cannot believe he could blame you for miscarrying when it's something no-one can control. That man is seriously out of line. "

" Dad," Lily sighed.

The Doctor turned to her, " I'm not going to kill Jack, but he needs talking to, Lils. Tell me where he'll be. "

" I don't know," she said in a small voice.

" Lily," he pressed, " we need to try and get to the bottom of this. " He reached out for her hand and she nodded, relenting.

" Fine," she said, " Ianto let me stay at his flat last night - Ianto's such a good friend, Dad. jack stormed out, God knows where he was all night. Anyway, I left him at Ianto's but he might not still be there. "

" Where's Ianto's? "

Lily started walking towards ianto's flat with her dad, hoping that he would be able to fix things for them. Once they got to the building where the Ianto's flat was, one of Ianto's neighbours was leaving, and she let the Doctor and Lily into the building.

Lily felt so nervous and she was't sure she was brave enough to be faced with Jack again.

She was so furious and so upset and she couldn't believe that any of this had ever happened.

" I don't even know if he'll still be here," Lily said, " we've been in the TARDIS for a while, you know. "

" Well, we'll see," the Doctor said sharply.

In fact, what they didn't know, was that Jack was sitting on Ianto's sofa. He'd been so angry and so furious when Lily had left that he didn't know what to do and he was still angry, and somehow, upset and grief hadn't managed to spread over him. He hadn't known what to go, and he'd been angrily mumbling and trying to think it all through. He'd made no progress in his feelings.

The Doctor laid his hand on the door handle and when he tried to open the door, it opened immediately.

The Doctor stepped forwards into the flat, and immdiately he was greeted with the sight of a very stunned Jack, who'd stood up from his positio on the sofa when he heard someone entering the room.

Lily's eyes swept across the room as she tried to look anywhere but at Jack, and she felt very grateful that Ianto and the others had decided to give her some time alone with Jack, and Ianto was clearly still detaining them at the coffee shop. They were supposed to have been meeting at Ianto's but Ianto must have told the others that Jack had shown up.

Lily had no idea what was going to happen next.

Jack met the Doctor's eyes, and was almost scared to do anything. He knew the Doctor was fiercely protective of his daughter and he supposed heshould have expected that she'd ring her dad.

He had to admit now that he was quite worried what the Doctor would do.

" Doctor," nodded Jack.

" Jack," the Doctor ground out through gritted teeth.

Jack didn't know what to do, and the Doctor paused for only a moment before stepping forwards.

" I hear you've been upsetting my daughter," the Doctor said furiously.

Jack put his hands on his hips as he returned the Doctor's furious look, " I suppose she's been telling you all sorts of stories, has she? "

" She's been telling me exactly how upset she is and exactly how unsympathetic you've been," the Doctor said coldly.

" Well, a lot's gone on," Jack said as the Doctor took a step forwards again, arms now foldd across his chest. Jack was acting quite hostile, and also folded his arms across his chest.

The Doctor was his friend, but when it came to Lily, he was Lily's dad first and foremost, and now it was if the two men weren't friends, and were some kind of enemies.

" I know exactly what's gone on," the Doctor said, " and I think you need to think about how you're treating her. Lily's not done anything wrong, and you've treated her as if - "

" Not done anything wrong? " repeated Jack, looking from the Doctor to Lily, who stood beside him, and back at the Doctor, " she didn't tell me she was pregnant, and because of that, I couldn't keep her safe. " He groaned, " she didn't tell me that she was pregnant, and then she went into a dangerous situation, knowing she was pregnant. "

" She was confused, she was all over the place," the Doctor said.

" She should have told me! " Jack snapped.

The Doctor took another step forwards and the two men were now almost nose to nose, glaring at each other, while a helpless Lily hovered just behind her dad.

" She was scared," the Doctor said.

" And she didn't think I'd have helped? " Jack demanded, " she's my wife, if she'd told me, I'd have kept her safe, and I'd have helped her. "

" She's your wife," the Doctor agreed, " I was there at the wedding. I listened to the vows Jack, and they didn't have any mention of abusing your wife. "

Jack looked absolutely shocked and Lily shook her head too - Jack hadn't meant to leave a mark on her arm, and although she was angry and upset, she knew that.

Jack's expression changed from shock to hurt as he looked at Lily, and he looked back at the Doctor, swallowing hard and trying to regain his pride. " I'm abusing her? " he asked, " that's what she said? "

" She didn't have to say it," the Doctor replied curtly, " I saw the marks on her upper arms. "

Jack's gaze strayed to Lily and he realised it was from where he'd grabbed her before, and he shook his head, " That's not ... it's not_ like that! _I just ... I was angry, I didn't meant to, I ... whatever you think of me, and whatever I think of her, I wouldn't do that. I was just angry. "

" Yeah, well maybe I'm angry now," the Doctor said, suddenly grabbing hold of Jack, both hands curling into his shirt and walking forwards, forcing Jack to walk backwards and slamming him into the wall.

Jack didn't even bother to fight it, though he was glaring at his father in law in a very hostile manner.

" You're angry? " Jack asked, " how about how I'm feeling? "

The Doctor glared at him, " I am so close to losing it with you, Harkness," he said through gritted teeth, " I don't care how you're feeling - you married my daughter and you stood there and agreed to love and protect her, for better and for worse, and all that. And now you've got a funny way of showing it. "

Jack raised an eyebrows but didn't answer.

The Doctor kept a tight grip of Jack, pining him to the wall as he said, " What you don't seem to understand, is that she's young, this was all new to her, and she needed someone to stand by her. So she didn't tell you straight away - she was overwhelmed by it, and the fact she thought she'd lost you forever, and the fact that she had to figure out a way to save every child on Earth. And as for going into Thames House when pregnant and losig the baby to radiation, you can't possibly have expected her to kow what she was going into, so it's hardly her fault. "

" She could have - "

" I'm not finished! " snapped the Doctor, " all that matters, is that when your wife miscarried your baby, you weren't there to help her. Love means standing by each other and you ... you idiot man, told her that she couldn't be trusted, that you couldn't look at her the same. Is that really what she needed to hear? How is that, in any way, shape or form, standing by her? How - "

" Oh, leave it already," Jack suddenly snapped, " I know all about standing by each other. "

" Do you? "

Jack glared at him and suddenly his anger rose and he was too angry to leave it. His eyes flashed with anger and he said, " I have always stood by your daughter, Doctor! "

The Doctor kept a tight hold of Jack, keeping him pinned to the wall.

Jack looked around the man and looked at Lily, " How can you possibly accuse me of not standing by you, after everything we've been through? I spent years searching for you, so don't you dare speak to me about responsibility! And what about the Master! "

He knew how much it hurt her to bring it up, but he was so far past caring, that he didn't even think about it.

Lily flinched - she still had the occasional nightmare about him, and she couldn't believe he was bringing him up. The very metion of the man's name sent her spinning back into thoughts about the Master pining her to a wall, forcing her to succumb to him, as he tried to impregnate her.

She felt like she'd been slapped and she demanded, " What _about _the Master? "

" Had it ever occured to you," Jack started, his voice steely and cold as the Doctor pressed him against the wall even harder, his jaw set very angrily, " that _had _the Master succeeded in getting you pregnant, as was his greatest wish, I'd have stood by you. "

Lily flinched, " I don't - " she started, about to tell him she didn't want to think about the Master.

Jack interrupted, " Because I would have. You can't talk to me about responsibility and standing by each other - because I know exactly about that. This isn't what _this _right _now _is about. If that bastard had gotten you pregnant, and we'd have come back here after his downfall, I'd have loved his baby and raised it as if it was my own! Had that ever occured to you? "

" I don't want to talk about the Master! " Lily snapped, taking a step forwards.

The Doctor looked down, his eyes full of pain as he thought about that time in his life when he was so unable to help his daughter.

" Upsetting you, is it? " Jack demanded, " to know that I'm _right? _"

" What has this got to do with anything? " the Doctor asked, looking up.

Jack licked his lips as he continued, barely aware of what he was saying, " This is about getting the point across that this _isn't about _me not standing by her. This is about her - you, Lily - keeping secrets from me, and not allowing me to stand by you and protect you, by not _telling _me. "

" We've been through this! " Lily snapped.

Jack sighed and he rested his head back against the wall, closing his eyes a little. He sighed and shook his head as he opened his eyes up again, " You know what? " he asked, looking at the Doctor briefly, before looking back at Lily.

She looked at him, scared by the look on his face.

" What? " she asked, her voice like a whisper.

" I bet," he said, his voice so cold and harsh that it didn't even sound like him, " that on some level, you wouldn't even have minded if the Master got you pregnant. You're all for life, after all, and it still would have been a life wouldn't it? I bet you wouldn't have minded if he got you pregnant. "

The Doctor absolutely couldn't believe that Jack had just said that, and before he knew what he was doing, he'd pulled his fist back and was launching it forwards.

The Doctor's fist met with Jack's face, and although it was so unlike the time lord to use violence, he was so furious at Jack, and he felt that Jack deserved it completely.

Even as the time lord's fist made harsh contact with his face, Jack knew he deserved it, and he didn't care. He wanted to carry on, and he wanted some kind of physical pain - he'd rather the Doctor beat him senseless, than have to feel the pain he was feeling from how far away he and Lily seemed in this moment.

Lily jumped backwards at her dad actually hitting Jack - and it was a good punch, 'd never thought her dad would be much good in a fight, but she supposed that just because he didn't use violence, didn't mean he wasn't a good punch.

Lily met Jack's eyes and he didn't even look sorry.

She couldn't believe the insult he'd just thrown at her - that she'd have _liked _it if that evil bastard had succeeded in getting her pregnant, from the constant raping of her over four months time.

She felt the tears falling already, and she turned on her heel and left the room.

The Doctor felt more angry than he ever had in his life, and he looked over his shoulder, still keeping a tight hold of his son-in-law. He watched the door bang closed behind Lily and for a second, considered going after her, but somehow, he was certain that she wouldn't have gone far, and he was so mad, that he wanted to make Jack understand, using violence, in a way he never had before.

Lily ran out of the flat, and once she was into the hallway, hurried down the stairs.

The tears were falling thick and fast and she couldn't stop them - she couldn't believe he'd brought the Master into conversation, much less what he'd actually said about the Master, when he'd always helped her, and she thought he was the one person that she could trust.

She stopped at the bottom floor of the building, leaning against the wall.

She didn't know where she was going, and she didn't know if she had the energy to go anywhere anyway.

Back upstairs in the flat, the Doctor still had a tight hold of Jack and he shook his head, " You're unbelieveable," he said through furious gritted teeth, pushing Jack back against the wall as hard as he possibly could, " aren't you at least going to apologise? "

" What's the point? " Jack asked, a cocky sort of smirk crossing his face, " you've already made up your mind. "

The infuritating smirk on the man's face was something the Doctor wanted to wipe straight off, and he didn't hesitate to give the man another sharp blow to the face.

Jack clutched at his cheek, suprised by the force behind the blow, " How long is this going to go on for? "

The Doctor shook his head, " You just don't get it do you? Lily was hurting - still is hurting. Admittedly, it might have been better in the long run if she'd told you as soon as she thought she was expecting. "

" It _would _have been better," Jack said, " the thing is, she suspected she was pregnant before this week even began. She should have told me that she thought she was pregnant in the first place - two weeks ago when she started to suspect. But she didn't tell me because she was scared I wouldn't want the baby - that was just so stupid of her! How could she - "

Jack was cut off by the Doctor shaking him and slamming him against the wall, " Listen to me, you stupid man," he roared, sick of hearing Jack, and just wanting to make him see sense.

Jack looked up at him with suprise on his face.

The Doctor's face was close to his, " You've probably just lost the best thing that ever happened to you, and you deserve to lose her with the way you're treating her right now, you bloody idiot! " He groaned, " Jack Harkness, I could just kill you, you know. You absolutely deserve to lose her - with the way you're acting right now, you're not half the man I thought you were, and she's far too good for you. "

Jack couldn't bear to hear it anymore and he tried to push the Doctor backwards, " You don't understand! " he shouted.

" No," the Doctor replied, pushing Jack backwards, " I _don't _understand. You're a fool, Jack. "

" _She's _the fool," Jack muttered under his breath, but not quiet enough that the Doctor couldn't hear him. Before he knew it, he was pinned to the wall again, and he and the Doctor were grappling with each other for control.

The Doctor's last nerve had broken and he felt like a man out of control now.

He didn't waste any time in making another move to hit the other man.

Ten minutes later, the Doctor had given Jack several harsh blows and grappled with him and fought, and Jack had tried to get of his anger over Lily, by taking it out on the Doctor. He'd pushed him back every time he'd been pushed, and he'd grabbed the Doctor every time the Doctor had grabbed him, although he hadn't been brave enough to hit the other man.

The Doctor straightened up, tugging on his coat and straightening it. He tried to flatten down his hair, and his breathing was heavy and ragged as he looked down at Jack.

Jack was sitting on the floor, his back against the wall.

The Doctor had mostly pushed and grabbed at him, and he'd hit him a few times, but only two of those blows had been proper punches.

After ten minutes, he'd gotten out all of his rage and decided enough was enough. He'd actually started to wonder if he hadn't gotten it wrong by coming around here and hitting his son in law for daring to hurt his daughter, but as soon as the thought entered his mind, he decided that that might have been exactly what Jack needed. And even if it wasn't what Jack needed, it was going to make the Doctor feel better, to know he'd helped his daughter. To know he'd stood up for his daughter, because that was what a good father did.

After banging Jakc back against the wall or the last time, he'd suddenly realised enough was enough and let go of Jack's shirt rather aprubtly, at which point Jack seemed to have given up and he slid down onto the floor.

" You need to think about things, Jack," the Doctor said, stuffing his hands deep in his pockets, shaking his head.

Jack glared up at the other man, " I don't need a lecture from you. "

The Doctor looked at Jack, and Jack slowly got to his feet. He'd got a bust lip from where the Doctor had hit him, and his jacket and shirt were all askew. He got to his feet and looked at the Doctor, but the Doctor was already turning his back on him and leaving the flat.

The Doctor was still angry when he left, but as he jogged down the stairs, looking for Lily, the anger turned to concern and worry.

The concern became even greater when he found his daughter, though he was also filled with a huge sense of relief. he saw her standing near the door of the main entrance to the place.

Tears were streaming down her face and when she saw her dad, she tried to wipe them away, but he didn't mind. He didn't want to see her cry, but she didn't have to hide it from him.

" Lils," he said when he got to her.

She sniffed, and he gathered her up in his arms.

" What have you been doing up there? " she asked as he hugged her.

He cleared his throat as he held her to him and rubbed her back, " Um ... having words with Jack. "

" Did you beat him up? " Lily asked, sounding almost afraid to ask the question.

The Doctor wasn't sure how to answer - he'd hit Jack, several times, and shown him that he certainly wasn't impressed with him but he hadn't beaten him up in the sense of beating him to a pulp. He didn't want Lily to think of him as a violent man, and he didn't want to tell her he'd tried to beat up her husband, as much as he was doing it to defend Lily's honour.

" We had a bit of an altercation," the Doctor replied, noticing as he and Lily broke apart, that a few of his knuckles were bleeding from where he'd hit Jack.

Lily looked up at her dad, and the Doctor asked gently, " What do you want to do, Lils? "

Lily thought about it - what were her options? She could go back upstairs to Jack, where they'd only get into another argument. She could go to her friends, Tosh, Owen, Ianto, Gwen, where she'd have to relate to them what had just happened, and she'd have to think about rebuilding the hub and trying to figure out what to do, and where she'd still be reminded of Jack and everything that had happened.

Or she could go off with Rose and the Doctor. The coward's way out, she thought. She could go off with her dad, where there was no jack, no Torchwood, nothing to think about. She could distract herself.

" I want to go with you, dad," she said, " I want to ... I need to be somewhere else. "

" Ok," the Doctor nodded, opening the door that would lead them out onto the street, " You just come with me, and you're going to be ok. I've got you now. "

Lily nodded, feeling reassured.

She and the Doctor walked back towards the TARDIS, but they'd only just gotten round the corner and down the road when Lily saw the rest of the Torchwood team walking towards her.

She didn't know what to say to them, and she came to a halt.

Her dad noticed and was about to ask her why until he noticed her collegues coming towards her. The Torchwood team seemed suprised to see the Doctor, and the Doctor gave them a big grin,

" Hello everyone," he grinned.

" Doctor," nodded Ianto.

" Hello Doctor," Tosh said, looking suprised.

" Doctor," Owen said, " I didn't know you were coming. "

" Neither did I," the Doctor said, glancing at his daughter and back around at her team, " but Lily called, so I had to come here and see her, didn't I? "

" Are you going away? " Tosh asked, looking worried.

Lily wasn't sure how to answer the question, and she sighed. The truth was, she thought her relationship with Jack was in so much danger, and she couldn't even imagine them getting through it.

She wanted to get away, and she didn't know how long for.

There was an awkward silence as everyone realised her reluctance to answer the question.

The Doctor looked around at them at then his eyes fell back onto his daughter, " I'll leave you with your friends for a bit," he said, " meet you in the TARDIS? "

Lily nodded, " Thanks daddy," she said, sounding like a lost little child.

The Doctor nodded and he reached down to her and planted a protective kiss on her forehead. She smiled a little, and the Doctor looked around at Lily's friends.

" Good to see you all again," he said, " I hear you've all been very heroic this week. "

No-one had a chance to reply because the Doctor had already turned his back on them and started walking away. Lily watched him walk away and then she looked back at her friends.

They were all looking at her, anticipating what she'd say.

After a few moments of silence, Ianto said, " We wanted to give you and Jack some space - we ... we went to the coffee shop. "

Lily smiled, appreciating them giving her some space, " Thanks, sweetie," she said.

" I take it you've ... stopped ... talking to Jack? " Ianto asked.

Lily nodded.

She looked around at the four of them and felt a strange feeling. It was sad to think that she was going to go away. She wasn't sure what to do, and she looked around at the four of them, " It's been a dificult week," she said, " and I ... I don't know what to do next. "

" Are you going to go away with the Doctor? " Tosh asked.

Lily nodded, " Yes," she said, " Jack and I had an argument. I needed some comfort and my dad's always great for that, so I phoned him, and he went around and had an argument with Jack too. Now I'm going to with him. "

" How long are you going away for? " Tosh asked, as all of them waited in anticipation for Lily's answer.

Lily swallowed hard, and she shook her head. " I'm not sure," she said. She looked around at her friends and tried to make her friend understand, " Things are so ... difficult ... right now. I'm not sure how to cope. I'm ... well, long story short, my husband seems to hate me right now, I'm homeless and I'm miserable. I need to get away from it all. "

" It can never be as bad as you think," Owen said, " you've still got us. "

Lily smiled sadly, " I know. " She looked around at them, and the four of them gathered around her.

It felt like they were losing her, and even though she told them she was going away for a bit, they were worried she'd be gone for a long time. That she might realise how much she'd missed her life in the stars with her dad, especially when she was arguing with Jack, and that she might stay there with him and she might not come back to Torchwood.

It was a sad moment and they felt like after everything that had happened this week, they needed to all pull together and help each other. And Lily was the heart of the team and she helped lead them and keep them together - they all thought they needed Lily to help Torchwood get back on their feet.

" You don't have to go because of Jack," Owen continued, " and you're not homeless. You can stay with me. "

" Hey," Ianto interrupted, his face serious, " I haven't thrown you out of my house, have I? You can stay in my spare room for as long as you need to. "

Lily smiled a little and as her friends stood in front of her. On one side of her was Ianto, Owen on her other side and Tosh and Gwen in the middle.

She reached out and took Ianto's hand, somewhat hesitantly, and she took Owen's too. Owen squeezed her hand tightly, and Ianto squeezed her hand too.

" I'm sorry," she said, knowing that as a leader, she needed to reassure she and Jack's team, especially when Jack wasn't currently around, and she needed to talk to them. She took a deep breath as she clung to the hands of two of her friends.

" Sorry? " Tosh asked, frowning.

Lily nodded, " Things have been so difficult. Losing the baby, and ... well ... you know. The point is I'm going away for a bit. I'm not sure how long I'm going to be. It's just something I've got to do, and I ... I've just got to go. I'm sorry, and I know I should stay here and wait for UNIT to come down, start making plans for the rebuild of the hub, but ... I've got to do this. "

When she looked around her friends, they were all nodding in acceptance.

" I'm sorry," she repeated.

" Don't be sorry," Owen said, " if you've got to go, you've got to go. You need to go away and clear your head, and everyone understands that. We'll be fine. "

Lily nodded, feeling her eyes well up with tears as Owen tugged her into a big warm hug.

She wrapped her arms around him and he hugged her, " We'll see you soon," he said.

Lily sighed, " Look after Tosh look after my friend," she mumbled so only he could hear," this week was horrific - everyone's going to need a bit of comfort. "

" She'll be ok," Owen vowed, thinking of his girlfriend, " she's got me. "

Lily nodded and as she broke apart from him, focused very hard on stopping the tears from falling. She said, " Thank you Owen. Thanks for ... well ... everything you did this week. Thanks. "

He nodded and she leaned in and planted a kiss on his cheek.

It was a very big effort not to start crying and she moved onto Gwen. She took Gwen's hand in hers and she said, " You look after yourself," with a meaningful glance down at Gwen's stomach, " how far gone are you? "

" Almost three months, I think," Gwen said, in a quiet voice, thinking that after Lily had lost her own baby, she really didn't want to upset her by talking about her own pregnancy.

Lily nodded, imagining having to watch Gwen become more and more pregnant, watching Gwen with a baby, all the while knowing that Gwen's baby would have had a friend the same ago, if everything had gone well.

Still, she wanted Gwen to be able to enjoy the baby, and she thought that she herself might get some kind of happiness from seeing Gwen with a baby. Maybe this would be the time they finally started to get on a bit better, because out of all the team, Gwen was the one she got on with the least.

A baby was special and Lily was still very pleased for Gwen.

" Look after yourself, and the baby," she said, wishing she'd followed her own advice.

Gwen nodded and squeezed her hands and Lily turned to Tosh, simply throwing her arms around her. The two of them shared a long hug, without ay words, before Lily mumbled a, " I'll be back. "

" I know," Tosh said. Lily was her closest friend - the only friend she'd ever really had, and she found it hard to say goodbye, and had to cling to the hope that Lily wouldn't be gone long.

Lastly, Lily turned to Ianto.

She often felt quite protective and motherly of Ianto, but this week he'd been as attentive and protective as Owen was, and it felt like he was really takig care of her.

" Yan," she sighed, shaking her head - Ianto was the more reserved of the lot of them, she often thought, and the one who was sensible

Ianto she'd met at Canary Wharf after the Battle. Ianto who she'd rescued from under the rubble. Who she'd told to try and find a new branch of Torchwood. Ianto who'd helped her plan every detail of her wedding.

Ianto who'd helped her through this week and had let her stay the night. Ianto who'd been in the next room last night when she'd cried herself to sleep, he'd made her breakfast and let her shower, and he'd bought her some new clothes.

She felt an immense rush of graditude towards him as she just said his name and she realised that it wasn't just she was protectively and motherly of him - he was always watching out and planning and organising the rest of the team.

He knew she was struggling to find words and he said, " We'll take care of everything down here between the four of us. And Jack. And we'll see you soon. "

" Yeah," Lily said.

Ianto pulled her into a hug, and as they broke apart almost a full minute later, she said, " Thanks for last night - for this morning - for everything. "

Ianto shook his head, " Not a problem. The spare room will be waiting for you when you come back from your travels. "

"Don't be too long though," Tosh said, biting her lip.

Lily nodded and she took a step back from them all. She took a deep breath.

" Now, I have to go. See you soon. "

She turned her back on them and started towards the TARDIS.


	16. Planet of the Dead

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

**Author's Note: I know it's been far too long since I updated, but here we go, new chapter. I've been away for a while, and it's kind of hard to write when it gets to the serious stuff, and you're not quite sure where you're going with it.**

Chapter Sixteen

Lily walked back to the TARDIS, and when she got there, she found her dad and Rose standing around in the console room. She gave them a weak smile, but her eyes were teary.

" Hey, darling," the Doctor said, moving towards her.

Lily sighed, and when he walked towards her, she just felt like crying. He stopped in front of her and smiled kindly, " You okay? "

She sighed, " I ... I don't know. I ... I could kill Jack. What did you _do, _Dad? "

The Doctor just shook his head, not wanting to make of show of the fact that he'd beaten up his son in law - something he wasn't at all proud of, but felt very justified in doing.

" I tried to make him see some sense, but I ... I found it hard," he replied, before reaching out and taking her into a hug, pulling her into his arms and hold her.

She smiled sadly and her dad hugged her tightly, and she hugged him back.

" Are you coming with me? " asked the Doctor as they broke apart.

Lily nodded, sniffing up, " Yeah," she said, " I spoke to our team. They ... they don't particularly want me to go, because I think they're worried I won't come back, but they understand. They ... they just want whatever's best for me. "

Lily sighed and turned to Rose.

" Hi," she mumbled.

Rose smiled and Lily felt quite relieved to see her friend. " Rose," she mumbled, moving forwards.

Rose sighed and also moved forwards to hug Lily. As the two women hugged, Lily felt grateful to have her friend with her, but wished things hadn't turned out like this.

Lily couldn't think straight and didn't know what to do.

She'd always adored her husband, but the way he was acting and the things he'd just said to her. She knew she'd done wrong by not telling him straight away about the pregnancy but she'd had her reasons, and he was being unfair. She couldn't believe the arguments they'd had, and how things were today.

She wished things could back to how they were before this whole horrid week, but she couldn't even think he was the same person from how he'd spoke to her.

She knew she wasn't perfect, but he was wrong too.

When Rose broke away from Lily, she looked at her sympathetically.

The Doctor had filled his girlfriend in on what had happened between Lily and Jack before Lily had come back to the TARDIS, and Rose could hardly believe it.

Lily sighed as she ran her hand through her hair, " I'm going to ... " she cleared her throat, " wash my face, get cleaned up, or something. "

The Doctor nodded, " Take as long as you want," he said, " we'll still be here. "

Lily left the room, and the Doctor set the TARDIS up into orbit, but not sending it anywhere in particular, allowing his daughter the time to take a break and have some time to herself.

The Doctor sighed, raking his hand through his hair as he wandered around the console, looking lost. His girlfriend, who he'd been reunited with almost seven months ago, watched him with a frown.

" Lily's going to be alright, you know," she said

" Is she? " the Doctor asked, frowning.

Rose nodded, " Come here," she commanded.

The Doctor sighed. He'd spent so long having to be in charge, and Lily was the one thing he always worried about, so much so that he forgot to think about himself most of the time. It felt nice to have someone else there to look after him.

He wandered over to his girlfriend, and she smiled and reached out to wrap her hands in his trenchcoat, pulling him down to her a bit.

" Lily's going through a tough time," said Rose softly, " but she's strong, and she just needs a bit of time to mend. She's going to be alright. "

" I don't know," mumbled the Doctor sadly.

" She will be," Rose said, " she and Jack are made for each other - they'll get through this, but they're both too bloody stubborn to stop and listen to each other. "

The Doctor sighed and wrapped his arms around Rose, " I ... I just don't know what to say to her. "

" Sure you do," Rose told him, shaking her head as she hugged him, " you're her dad - you always know what to say. "

Meanwhile, Lily went to the bathroom which was nearby her old bedroom on the TARDIS. She sighed and ran the tap, reaching down to scoop some of the water up in her hands.

She closed her eyes as she washed her face and afterwards, she sat down on the side of the bath. She kept her eyes closed tightly as she wished everything could go back to the way it was, and after what seemed like a long time, she decided to move.

She slowly wandered through the corridors on the TARDIS, and was soon back in the console room.

As soon as she came into the console room, she found her Dad with his black framed glasses on (the ones he wore when something was going on, and he was investigating), as he moved around the console.

" Lily! " the Doctor said when he saw her, quickly moving over to her and resting his hands on her shoulders, " how d'you fancy a quick trip back down to Earth? "

Lily groaned, looking extremely reluctant, " I ... what for? "

He'd already let go of her and was at the main control panel on the console, watching the screen intently, " I've picked up a ridiculous amount of Rhondium particles. I think the TARDIS has picked them up, since we've just been to Earth. We've got to track them down and trap them, because those kind of particles lying around, never did anyone any good. "

Lily nodded reluctantly, eyes wandering to the console, " Knock yourself out," she said, " suppose we've got to trap the particles, before they get out of control. "

The Doctor nodded and started setting the controls for where he wanted to go.

When the TARDIS came to a halt, the Doctor looked at his two companions.

" Right," he said, " the particles are nearby somewhere - we've just got to get out there and follow them. " He held up a little silver gadget, " This should help us track them down. "

" So we just ... follow them? " Rose asked.

The Doctor nodded, and he laid a hand in the small of his girlfriend's back as the three of them started towards the exit of the TARDIS.

When they walked onto the street, Lily looked around. Although she was still so hurt and angry, it helped to have this expedition to distract her from anything else.

" London," she said, looking around.

" That's right," the Doctor said, looking down at the device in his hand and watching as it directed them straight forwards, " this way," he said, before looking at her again, " are you alright? "

She nodded, " Not particularly, but ... let's get on with this. "

The Doctor searched her face with his eyes, but when he saw the determination in his eyes, he decided that if she said she wanted to get on with it, they'd get on with it. He thought it might do her some good to htink about something other than Jack.

" This way then," the Doctor said, stepping forwards.

Rose and the Doctor held hands as they strode down the street, Lily on the Doctor's other side.

The Doctor watched as a big red bus pulled up at the bus stop halfway down the street, and people started to board it. The device in his hand started to go crazy, and it could only mean that the Rhondium particles were in close proximity.

Lily looked over her dad's shoulder and looked at the device. It was spinning around, and finally seemed to settle on the bus.

" We should get on there," she said, her eyes darting along the short queue of people, " come on. "

The Doctor nodded and pulled some psychic paper out of his pocket as they jogged down the street, tugging Rose with him. He handed Lily some psychic paper too as the three of them got closer to the bus.

They reached the bus stop just as the last person in the queue boarded the bus.

The Doctor stepped on first, Rose and Lily following him. The three of them flashed some psychic paper to the bus driver who nodded and closed the doors of the bus behind them.

The Doctor took a few steps forwards, looking for a spare seat, and he sat down next to a young woman with long dark hair and a leather jacket, while Rose and Lily sat behind, side by side.

Lily took the opportunity to look around - it was dark outside, and there were only six passengers on the bus besides the three time travellers.

The woman whom the Doctor had sat down beside, glanced at him curiously as she took in the sight of him, and then looked straight forwards again.

The Doctor twisted half around in his seat to show the device for the Rhondium particles to his girlfriend and his daughter. " Look, we've got excitation! " he said, shaking the gadget in delight, and attracting the attention of other passengers, " I'm picking up something very strange. "

The woman who the Doctor was sitting next to, looked at him curiously, " What the hell are you doing? " she asked, her voice lofty.

He shrugged, not understanding that she was completely confused, " I'm looking for Rhondium particles," he said, sensing that there was something strange about this woman, something that meant she was more on their level, and that he could tell her these things, " this thing detects them - look, the little dish is going around and around. "

" Fascinating," sighed the woman.

" And around again," the Doctor said, pointing at it, while it spun faster and faster. Rose and Lily exchanged amused looks, though they were slightly apprehensive at the way that the Doctor was just sitting there with this device.

Suddenly, the dish exploded with a small puff.

" Excuse me," said a woman sitting in the fold up seats near the front of the bus, " d'you mind? "

" Sorry," the Doctor said, standing up so that he could pocket the device, " it was just my little dish. "

Lily noticed that the Doctor was looking around as if he knew that something was about to happen. " What was your name? " he asked the woman who he'd sat down next to.

" Christina," she replied.

" Christina, hold on tight," he said firmly, before looking at Rose and Lily, " hold on! Everyone hold on! "

Lily frowned but knew his advice was usually something to follow, and she reached out and grabbed hold of the metal back of the seat in front, bracing herself.

All of a sudden, the bus lurched forwards very sharply, and every passenger went hurtling forwards. Lily groaned as she was thrown forwards and almost banged her head on the seat in front.

" Oh! The voices! " cried a curvy black woman all dressed in blue, " they're screaming! "

There was a loud crashing noise, and everyone kept their heads down as one of the windows smashed straight through, and sparks flew from above them.

" What's going on? " shouted a young man.

There was a blinding light from all around them as more windows shattered, and Lily lifted her head and tried to look around to see what was going on. Sunlight was streaming through the windows, and Rose, sitting in the aisle seat, stood up, and Lily did too.

The pair of them moved down the bus, and Lily walked slowly, looking up at the ceiling.

It was lucky that there had been no-one on the top deck of the bus, because the entire top deck had been crushed, and smoke was wafting up from it.

Lily walked down the bus some more, and she watched as her dad stood in the doorway, the doors of the bus now open. The Doctor took a step out, and Lily followed.

She frowned in confusion when she realised that they were in the middle of a desert. She looked around, but there was nothing in sight in any direction.

" Woah," the Doctor mumbled, shaking his head, " end of the line. "

The other passengers followed them off the bus, and they all looked around.

" Doctor, where are we? " Rose asked - even since becoming half-time lord, she didn't have anywhere near the knowledge that the Doctor did, and still relied on him.

Lily shook her head and blew out a breath, " Honestly," she sighed, " every time! Every time I come away with you, we end up in some disastrous situation. "

The Doctor shook his head, " It might not be as bad as it looks. "

Lily scoffed and watched as her dad knelt down in the sand, trying to pick something up, some kind of clue as to where they were. Lily wandered forward and looked around. Her eyes were drawn up to the sky and she wasn't the only one.

" There are three suns! " the female passenger cried, " that's impossible. Three of them! "

Lily shrugged, " Impossible's pretty ... well ... nothing's ever impossible. "

" It's like when all those planets were up in the sky a few months ago," a young dark skinned man said.

" Yeah, but it was Earth that moved bakc then, wasn't it? " asked a different young man.

" Oh man! " sighed the first young man, " we're on another world! "

" Still intact though! " the driver pointed out, inspecting the bus, and drawing everyone's attention, " not quite as bad as it looks, though my boss is going to murder me. "

" Can you still drive it? " the woman - middle aged - asked.

" Oh no," the driver said - something which didn't suprise Lily at all " it's stuck in the sand - wheels won't budge. "

Lily's mind was almost completely off Jack and everything that had happened not even a couple of hours ago - once something like this happened, she always felt like they needed to turn their hand to what was going on outside.

She looked around and when she saw her dad, saw that he and Rose were standing with Christina. Christina shrugged out of her leather jacket as Lily approached and pulled some sunglasses out of her pocket.

" Prepared for every occasion," she said.

The Doctor smirked a little, removed his sunglasses, and replaced them too with a pair of sunglasses, " Me too," he said, before continuing to examine the sand.

" And what's your name? " she asked him.

" The Doctor," he said.

Christina rolled her eyes and Lily could see the disbelief. " Name, not rank," ordered Christina.

" The Doctor," he repeated.

" Surname? " Christina tried.

" The Doctor. "

" That's not a name," she scoffed, " but if you insist. And your friends? "

Lily smiled at the woman, " I'm Lily," she said, " and this is Rose. "

Christina nodded, looked them both up and down, and then they all turned their attention back to the Doctor, who was currently placing some of the sand on his tounge.

" What's he doing? " Christina asked.

Lily shrugged in an offhand manner, " Tasting it. "

The Doctor pulled a face, " Ack. Urgh, bleeergh," he groaned, " that's not good. "

" Well, it wouldn't be ... it's sand," said Christina.

Lily smirked a bit as the Doctor got to his feet, shaking his head. He met Lily's eyes and she wondered what was going on, before deciding he'd tell her later if it was important.

The other passengers wandered over to them, and some of them looked quite annoyed. The dark skinned young man said suspiciously to the Doctor, " Hold on a minute - I saw you, with that little machine thing. Did you make this happen? "

" Always blaming me," mumbled the Doctor to himself before speaking louder, " If you must know, I was tracking a hole in the fabric of reality. But it was a tiny, tiny hold, no danger really. Suddenly it gets big, and we dive straight through it. "

" But then where is it? " the driver, now angry, demanded, approaching them, " there's nothing but sand. "

" Alright, if you want proof," nodded the Doctor, as Lily looked at him with a look that told him he'd have to do something if they didn't want everyone to turn again them.

He reached down and picked up some sand and threw it at the space behind the bus, " We drove through this. "

Lily suddenly understood what was going on when a huge swirling vortex appeared, full of darkness.

" Whar's that? " Christina asked.

" A door," Lily replied, her thinking head on now, " in space. "

" So, on the other end of that, is home? " the driver asked, " We can get to London through there? "

Lily had spent enough time travelling to know about these sorts of things and she had the aswer all prepared, but the Doctor got in there first, " The bus came through, but we can't. "

The driver shrugged, paying no attention, " Come on," he said to his fellow passengers, " what are you all waiting for - we can get back that way! "

As the driver sprinted off, Lily shouted, " Don't bother," at the same time Rose called, " No, you can't," and the Doctor shouted, " Hey! Wait! "

The driver paid no attention to them, and it was too late.

" I said don't! Get back here! " the Doctor shouted desperately.

Too late. The driver's hand made contact with the open vortex, and he screamed a terrible cry of horror and pain. There was a burst of fire, andbefore they knew what was happening, the driver's entire body had become a skeleton, and he was there just long enough for everyone else to see what had happened, before he disappeared through the vortex.

Lily winced, shaking her head.

" How - ? " started the middle aged woman.

The Doctor interrupted her, " How didn't that happen when we came through? It must have been the bus - it protected us. Great big box of metal. "

" Like in a thunderstorm, yeah? " the young Londoner asked, " safest place is inside a car, cos the metal conducts the lightening. We did it in school. "

" It's like a Faraday cage," Christina said, suprising Lily as that had been her exact thought. Christina continued, " but if we can only travel back inside the bus ... a Faraday cage needs to be closed and that thing's been ripped wide open. "

" There might be enough metal to work," Lily said thoughtfully, looking at her dad.

The Doctor nodded.

Christina frowned, " Then we've got five tonnes or so of bus, which we have to drive, and which is currently buried in the sand, and we've got nothing but our bare hands. "

Lily nodded as Christina met her eyes, " Yeah. "

" More like nin and a half tonnes, but yeah," the Doctor corrected

Rose shook her head, " Where do we start? We've got to get back. "

" We need to apply ourselves with discipline," Christina said, immediately taking control - something which Lily knew she wouldn't usually like, although right now, she was clouded with feelings of distress about her relationship, and didn't care about anything else.

" We need a leader," Christina continued. The Doctor opened his mouth, expecting to be appointed leader, but Christina added, " and thank goodness you've all got me! Everyone do as I say! Inside the bus at once! "

" Is it safe? " asked the young man.

" I don't think anything's safe anymore," said Christina, shaking her head, " but if it's a choice between baking in there or roasting out here, I'd say baking is slower. Come on! All of you! "

Lily wasn't used to taking orders from strangers, nor were Rose and the Doctor, but Lily found herself not caring. She just wanted to be away from here ... she didn't know where she wanted to be, but this wasn't it.

Everyone else seemed to be taking Christina as their leader, mainly because they were scared and wanted to go home. Lily and Rose glaced at the Doctor and he simply nodded.

Soon, everyone was back on the bus, and while Rose sprawled out over two seats, her legs up as she glanced over her shoulder at the Doctor, the Doctor sat behind her with an arm draped over his daughters shoulders.

" Ok," Christina said, standing at the front of the bus with her hands on her hips, " the crucial thing is, do not panic. Quite apart from anything else, the smell of sweat inside this thing is reaching atrocious levels. We don't need to add anymore. Point two - team indentification. I'm Christina, this man is apparently "The Doctor" - "

" Hello," the Doctor said with a cheery wave.

" And his friends are Rose and Lily," Christina finished, before looking at the youngest looking man, " and you? "

" Nathan," he said, with a bit of a wave.

" Barclay," the dark skinned young man said.

The middle aged woman nodded, " Angela. Angela Whittaker. "

" And my name's Lou," said the man of the dark couple sitting at the back of the bus, " and this is Carmen. "

" Excellent," Christina nodded with a bright smile, " memorise those names everyone, because there might be a test. Now, point three, assessment and application of knowledge. Over to you, Doctor. "

The Doctor frowned, " I thought you were in charge? "

" I am," Christina said, with a smirk which Lily thought meant she could see some personality in the other woman that she quite liked, " and a good leader always utilises her strengths. You seem to be the brainbox - you three over there - so start. "

Lily looked at the Doctor, " Oh, this one's all yours," she said, leaning back.

He nodded and removed his arm from around his daughter's shoulders as everyone turned to look at hi,. He rubbed his hands together and said, " Right, so, the wormhole. We were in the wrong place at the wrong time. It was all just an accident. "

" No it wasn't," piped up Carmen " That thing, that doorway, someone made it. For a reason. "

" How do you know? " the Doctor tested.

" She's got a gift," lou, her husband said, placing his hand over hers, " Ever since she was a little girl, she can just ... see things. We do the lottery, twice a week. "

Lily smiled, thinking that that woman was something special.

" You don't look like millionaires," Christina said.

" No, but we win ten pounds," Lou told everyone softly, with a smile, " every week, twice a week, ten pounds. Don't tell me that's not a gift. "

Lily smiled softly at the couple, and how much they obviously cared for each other and she felt a pang of pain when she thought about her own relationship. She tried to push it out of her mind as the watched her dad put his hand behind his back and quiz Carmen on how many fingers he was holding up.

When she got it right, the Doctor grinned.

" Very good," he nodded, exchanging a delighted look with Lily, " low-level psychic abilities, excerberated by an alien sun. " He moved forwards and sat down in front of her, " what can you see, Carmen? Tell me what you see. "

" Something," Carmen whispered, her eyes wide as she stared into his eyes, " something is coming. Riding on the wind, and shining. "

" What's coming? " the Doctor probed, while Lily held her breath and hoped they were going to get into a major disaster.

" Death, death is coming," Carmen whispered.

Across the bus, Angela let out a horrified sob, " We're gonna die! " she gasped.

" I knew it man, I said so," Barclay said, hanging his head in his hands.

" We can't die out here," Nathan said, looking around, eyes wide and panicky, " no-one's ever going to find us. "

All around them, the passengers started to panic, and their voices started to overlap as they started to panic and get louder and louder.

" This isn't helping! " Lily said, standing up.

" You're upsetting her, be quiet, " Lou pleaded, an arm around Carmen as he looked at everyone else.

" Will we be bones, like the driver? " Nathan cried out.

" All of you, stop panicking! " Lily said.

Her voice cut through the air, and for a moment, she felt like she was back at Torchwood. You didn't get to lead a team like Torchwood without learning a few things, and she'd definitley learned how to be in charge. Everyone listened to her, and once she'd gotten everyone to quiet down, the only sound left was Angela sobbing.

Lily took a step forwards, but the Doctor beat her to it and he stopped in front of Angela, kneeling down so he was on her level and putting his hands on her shoulders.

" Ok Angela," the Doctor said, " answer me one question, Angela. That's it, look at me, yeah, look at me. " She stopped crying and looked at him, and he continued, " when you got on this bus, where were you going? "

" Doesn't matter now, does it? " scoffed Angela.

" Answer the question," the Doctor said.

" Just home," Angela said.

" And what's home? " the Doctor asked, capivating everyone's attention.

" Me, and Mike and Suzanne. That's my daughter, she's 18. "

The Doctor nodded and sat down with a smile, " Suzanne, alright, that's good. " He turned around to look at Barclay as he sat down, " and you? "

" Just going round to Tina's," he replied.

" Tina? " the Doctor echoed, hands resting behind his hand, " that your girlfriend? "

Barclay smirked a little, " Not yet," he said, making Lily smile as she remembered the times when she and Jack were messing around, and not quite together, and having all that fun.

" Good man," nodded the Doctor, turning to look at Nathan.

" Bit strapped for cash," Nathan shrugged, " I lost my job last week, so I was just going to stay in, watch a bit of TV. "

" Brilliant," the Doctor nodded, " and you two? "

Lou smiled at Carmen and then told the Doctor, " I was going to cook. "

Carmen nodded wisely, " It's his turn, and then I was going to clean away. "

" What's for tea? " Lily asked softly, quite touched by how close the pair was. She and Jack rarely ever cooked - they always ordered takeaways when they were at work (or rather, Ianto ordered them) and went out to the local restaurants.

" Chops and gravy," Lou replied, " nothing special. "

Lily shook her head, " Sounds very special. "

The more she sat here, on this godforsaken bus in this stupid desert, she thought she'd like nothing more than to be at home, sitting in her husbands lap, sharing pizza and doing something normal ad simple.

Except she'd messed it all up with him, and he'd messed it all up with her.

She hated him for the way he'd shouted at her and argued with her, but she wondered if she wouldn't be better off with him. Maybe they could try and make it up. She'd hate to think she'd thrown their entire relationship away because of an argument in the heat of the moment.

" And you, Christina? " asked the Doctor.

" I was going ... so far away," sighed Christina.

Lily smiled a little, " I know that feeling," she said.

The Doctor nodded, looking around at everyone, " Ok," he said, " Far away, chops and gravy, watching TV, Mike and Suzanne and poor old Tina! "

" Hey! " Barclay protested.

The Doctor smiled, holding up his hand, " Just think of them. Cos that planet out there, all three suns and wormholes and alien sand, that is nothing. You hear me? Nothing compared to allof those things waiting for you. Food and home and good people. Hold onto that. 'Cos we're going to get there. I promise. We're going to get home. "

" Then we're going to have to fix this bus," said Lily, standing up.

" And how do we do that? " a worried looking Nathan asked.

Rose also stood up, " We can do it. We just need to pull together. "

" You're right," nodded the Doctor. He started thinking about how they could get the bus working again, and he soon started to put something together.

It wasn't long before the passengers were all stading in the sand, the bonnet of the bus up as Lily and the Doctor leaned over it, and Nathan and Barclay emerged from the bus, holding seat cushions.

" Here we go! " the Doctor grinned, looking up, as did Lily, " that's my boys! We lay a flat surface between the bus and the wormhole, like duckboards, and reverse into it. "

" But let some air out of the tyres a bit - " Lily started.

" Because it'll spread the weight out a bit," Christina finished for her, " gives it more grip. "

Lily nodded, " Thats good," she said.

" Holidays in the Kalahari," Christina replied.

" But the wheels'll go too deep," Barclay protested.

The Doctor nodded as he thouht about this, and he said, " Then we'd better start digging. "

" What with? " Barclay asked.

" I've got this one," said Christina, reaching into her bag. She pulled out a folded up shovel, and the Doctor took it from her, unfolded it and handed it to Barclay.

" Got anything else? " the time lord asked the woman.

Christina pulled something else out and handed it to Nathan - a small axe. " There you go, might help with the seats. "

" Thanks," Nathan grinned, before rushing back onto the bus.

There was a shout from inside the bus, as everyone was trying to get involved, and Angela called, " I can't find the keys! " from the driver's seat.

" Buses don't have keys," the Doctor shouted, rushing to the door of the bus, " there's a switch somewhere near there - a master switch. "

After a pause, Lily heard Angela cry, " Right, hold on, I've got it! " The engine sounded loudly, and for a minute, it was up and running, before it died.

" Oh, that doesn't sound too good," the Doctor sighed, " Rose, you help Angela start the engine again , Lily, any idea? "

Lily leaned over the engine and she called out to her dad, " Sand," she said, " clogging up the engine. Don't suppose you've got a mechanic on speed dial? "

From beside her, Barclay said, " Wait, I did a two week NVQ at the garage. Never finished it but - "

" Off you go then," the Dcotor finished, " Try stripping the air filter, fast as you can. Back in two ticks. "

The Doctor raced off in one direction, and Rose shouted after him, " Wait! Where are you going? "

Looking over his shoulder, he shouted words that were lost because no-one could hear it, and then raced off towards the sand dunes. Christina followed him, trying to figure out what was going on, but Lily wasn't bothered.

Turning back to Rose, Lily told her father's girlfriend, " He's just gone to see if he can see anything over the dunes - he won't be long. "

As Barclay worked on the engine, the others got back on the bus, feeling that there wasn't anything that they could do to help.

Lily left Barclay at the engine and turned to Rose.

" What're we going to do? " asked Rose.

Lily shook her head, " I'm not sure. I'm hoping my dad's going to see something - some kind of clue. " Lily sighed and started to pace up and down as she thought more and more, " I've got a mobile in my pocket," she said, " should still work. A London bus has just ... disappeared. Surely someone will have noticed - it's the kind of thing UNIT would have spotted. I've got contacts at UNIT - maybe we could ring for information. "

Rose raised her eyebrows, " Will UNIT just give out information? "

Lily smiled a little, " I've built myself a reputation since joining Torchwood, and since - " she swallowed, thinking of her life, " since Jack's got no patience for UNIT, it's me who ends up dealing with them. I've got quite a bit of influence with them these days. "

Rose nodded.

The Doctor returned fairly soon and he immediately stopped in front of Rose and Lily, looking between the two women, " There's a storm on the way," he said, " it's coming quickly. "

" Sandstorm? " Rose asked.

" I'm not so sure," the Doctor said, shaking his head, " I'm going to ring for help. "

" UNIT? " Lily asked.

The Doctor nodded, " Yes, my clever girl. Can I borrow your phone? "

Lily rolled her eyes, " I really wish you'd get a mobile - I'm sick of your phone being attatched to the TARDIS console." She reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone, slapping it into his hand.

He noddd gratefully and stepped onto the bus, followed by Rose, Lily and Christina (whom Rose was watching very carefully, suspiciously.)

" You're hardly going to get a signal," scoffed Christina, " we're on another planet! "

" Oh just watch me," the Doctor grinned, looking around the bus, " Right, now, bit of hush, thank you, got to remember this number. "

He dialled a number, and once he'd done so, put the phone to his ear. Lily knew he was calling UNIT and he groaned, " Oh, I hate these things," and she knew he'd gotten through to the automated machine that usually answered the phones.

" Oh no," Angela said, " I saw this on watchdog once - if you keep pressing zero down, you get through to a real person. "

" Oh thanks," grinned the Doctor, sitting down. The person on the other end of the phone must have answered because the Doctor said, " It's me, it's the Doctor! "

" Put them on speakerphone," Lily whispered, poking her dad's said.

" D'you mind? I'm on the phone," he said, shaking his head.

" Yeah, speakerphone," Rose nodded, tapping the Doctor's shoulder.

The Doctor rolled his eyes and put it on speakerphone so the two girls could listen to the conversation - though everyone else would be able to too.

" Doctor, this is Captain Erisa Magambo," the woman on the other end of the phone said, " might i say sir, it's an honour. " Lily vaguely recognised the woman's name, though she wasn't someone Torchwood often came into contact with.

The Doctor's lip twitched into a suspicious smile and he said, " Did you just salute me? "

" No," the captain replied curtly.

" Erisa, it's about the bus," the Doctor said, " HQ said you're at the tunnel, yeah? "

" And where are you? " Erisa asked.

" I'm on the bus," the Doctor said, frowning, " but apart from that, no idea. Except that it's very pretty and very dangerous. "

" A body came through here," the stern sounding captain told them, " have you had any more fatalities? "

" No, and we're not going to," replied the Doctor, " but we're stuck. I haven't got the TARDIS, and I need to analyse that wormhole. "

" We have a scientific advisor here on site," Erisa told them, " his name is Dr Malcolm Taylor. Just the man you need - he's a genius. "

The Doctor exchanged a grin with his two companions and then nodded, " Oh, well is he now? "

The next thing they knew, the phone was muffled, and there were voices behind, as if someone had put their hand over the reciever while handing the phone over.

Lily, Rose and the Doctor looked at the phone, which was lying on the Doctor's knee.

After a minute of so, a man's voice came, " D-Doctor? "

" Hello," the Doctor said cheerily.

The man sounded nervous, and after hearing the Doctor's voice sounded completely incredulous, " Doctor? Oh my goodness! "

" Yes, hello Malcolm! "

" The Doctor," laughed the man, " Cor blimey, I can't believe I'm actually speaking to you. I mean, I've read all of the files and you - and on your daughter. Cor, you're heroes, you two. You off saving the world, and her defending Earth, all from Cardiff. "

The Doctor looked at his daughter and she grinned, " Hi Malcolm! " she said, " I'm Lily! "

" Oh wow, Mrs Harkness, what an honour," Malcolm said. Lily kept on smiling through the painful reminder of the state of her marriage, and she wished Jack was here now, but they were ok.

" Right," the Doctor interrupted, " wormhole - let's sort this out. "

" Of course," said Malcolm.

The Doctor said, " Something's not making sense here - I've got a wormhole and a storm, and I can't help thinking that there's a connection. I need a complete full range analysis of that wormhole, the whole thing. "

" I've probably got the wrong idea," Malcolm said, " but I've wired up an integrator. I thought it could measure energy signature. It's quite extraordinary, actually. I'm measuring an oscillation of 15 Malcolms per second. "

" 15 what? " Lily asked, frowning.

" 15 Malcolms," Malcolm said, " it's my own little term. A wavelength parcel of ten hilohertz operating in four dimensions equals one malcolm. "

" You named a unit of measurement after yourself? " asked the Doctor with a smirk.

" It didn't do Mr Watt any harm," Malcolm replied, " Furthermore, 100 malcolms equal a Bernard. "

" And who's that? Your dad? "

Lily chuckled at her dad's comment, and Malcolm said, " Don't be ridiculous. " Lily laughed and the Doctor said, " Right, listen, before I die of old age, which in my case would be quite an achievement so congratulations on that, is there anyone else I could talk to? "

" No, no, but listen! " Malcolm said quickly, " I set the scanner to register what it can't detect and inverted the image. "

" You did what? " the Doctor demanded.

" Is that wrong? " Malcolm asked.

Lily grinned as she realised that this man was brilliant, and the Doctor acknowledged that too, " No, Malcolm, that's brilliant! So you can actually measure the wormhole - ok, I admit, that is genius. "

Lily felt like being in charge too and she felt like the more she got lost in the this, the more she could distract herself from the feelings of her home life, " You should run a capacity scan," she said.

" Absolutely," the Doctor agreed, " I need a full report - call me back when you've done it. And Malcolm? You're my new best friend. "

" And you're mine too , sir," a very eager Malcolm said, before the Doctor ended the call.

" Right," the Doctor said, putting his daughter's phone in his own pocket before looking around at everyone, " I'm going to investigate," he said, " Um ... Lils, with me. Rose - you can come with us, or stay here and oversee the bus being fixed - lead the team. "

" I'll stay," Rose said confidently, certain she could be in charge.

" And I'll come with you," Christina told the Doctor.

Lily noticed the wary look Rose grew in Christina's direction, but once she'd caught Rose's eye, just gave her a little nod of reassurance.

Lily, Christina and the Doctor started off walking through the desert.

The Doctor pulled out Lily's phone and frowned at the thing, " How ... how do you take a picture on this thing? " he asked.

Lily rolled her eyes and took the phone from him, set it onto camera and pointed at the button in the middle which was the camera, " There. "

The Doctor nodded and took a picture of the storm, " I'll send it back to earth," he said, " see if Malcolm can analyse the storm. "

Lily touched her dad's arm lightly and pointed off into the cloud, " There's something in there - shining. "

" Like metal," Christina finished.

" Why would there be metal in a storm? " frowned the Doctor, taking a picture. As he tried to send the picture, there was some kind of noise around them. Lily looked around and saw that the very perceptive Christina was also looking around.

" Can you hear that? " Christina asked.

" That ... Chirruping? " asked Lily, before nodding, " yeah. "

Lily frowned and looked around, and she saw a strange creature standing in front of them. It had a humanoid body with the head ad wings of a fly - some kind of half insect creature. It held a sharp looking weapon in its hand, and Lily stared at it, wishing she was somewhere else.

The creature snarled at them, and Lily understood exactly what it was saying, though the Doctor took charge, stepping in front of the two women he was with.

The Doctor ordered it to wait and not do anything to them.

" You speak the language? " Christina asked.

The Doctor nodded, " Every language. "

The creature motioned with its gun, and Christina sighed, " That must mean move. "

" Good," the Doctor said, in a very resigned voice, " you're learning. "

They didn't have any kind of choice, as the creature forced them to walk in front of it, waving its gun around. They walked for a few minutes and Lily shook her head, frowning at her dad.

" Every time - " she started, only to be interrupted.

" Don't even bother," sighed the Doctor.

" Every time I come away with you," Lily sighed, " something like _this _happens. "

The Doctor groaned, " Lily," he sighed, " don't exaggerate, darling. It's most times, not every time. "

" Can we keep the arguments to a minimum, you two? " Christina asked testily.

Both father and daughter looked outraged at that, and the Doctor insisted, " We're not arguing! Just - "

" Having a frank and honest discussion," finished Lily.

" Exactly," nodded the Doctor.

" Right," Christina said, rolling her eyes as they continued to walk forwards. They saw a ship in the sand in front of them, a large sort of alien ship. " These fly things, they must be responsible. They brought us here. "

Lily was unsure, and her eyes were fixed on the crashed ship, " No, look - it's a wreck," she said, " they've crashed too. Like us. "

The fly creature behind them forced them into the ship, and once they got inside what looked like a main control room, they looked around. It looked like the creatures had been trying to rebuild their ship, with wires all around, and all the electronics exposed.

" This is freezing! " Christina complained.

" Photafine steel," the Doctor told her, " turns cold when it's hot out. Boiling desert outside, freezing cold ship. Oh, but this is beautiful though. Intact, it must have been magnificent! Proper stream-lined deep-spacer! "

Christina rolled her eyes, " I'll remember that when I'm being tortured. At least I'm bleeding on the floor of a really well designed spaceship. "

A second one of the creatures approched them and Lily sighed heavily - she was dreading what might be happening here and she suddenly came to a realisation.

If something happened to her out here, she might never see her friends again. She'd never be able to tell Jack that although she was angry with him, he was hers and she was his, and they had something that couldn't be broken.

She'd never be able to tell him that although she was so furious with him, she couldn't spend forever without him.

She was jerked out of her thoughts by her dad speaking, " Telepathic translator," he said, " he can understand us. "

" It still sounds like gibberish to me," Christina said as the fly-creature spoke.

" Exactly," the Doctor said, " he can understand us, but you can't understand him. Doesn't work both ways. "

As the creature spoke, Lily translated it aloud for Christina's benefit, " You will suffer for your crimes. You have comitted an act of violence against the Tritovore race. You came here in the 200. "

" Sorry, what's the 200? " the Doctor asked the creature.

" It's the bus," Christina replied, " they mean the bus. "

" Oh! " the Doctor said, holding his hands up as he started to describe it all to the creatures, frantically trying to get a way out for he and his companions, " no, you're making a mistake. I'm the Doctor, by the way. This is Lily, and this is Christina. The honourable Lady Christina, actually. But we got pulled through that wormhole. The 200 doesn't look like that normally - it's broken. Same as you. "

The Tritovores started speaking to each other, and when Lily realised what they were talking about, she breathed a sigh of relief - she'd have hated to have been stuck here forever.

" What are they doing? " Christina asked.

" They believe him," Lily said.

" Simple as that? " Christina asked incredulously.

" I've got a very honest face," shrugged the Doctor, " and the translator says I'm telling the truth. Plus, the face. Right! So, first thing's first, there's a very strange storm heading our way, can you send out a probe? "

The Doctor moved towards the console, and the tritovore replied.

Lily looked at the very confused Christina and told her, " They say they've lost power. "

The Doctor added, " Crashed knocked the mainline crystallography out of synch. " Moving around the console quickly, he said, " if I can jiggle it back ... yes, brilliant! " The console light up and the power started to generate, " Now," he said, " let's launch that probe. "

As the probe flew off out of the crashed spaceship, all that was left to do was wait for information.

The Doctor turned around to look at his daughter, and he saw the faraway look in her eyes. He felt so sorry for her and just wanted her to be alright, and he felt like he had to take care of her, but they had to deal with what was going on right here and now.

As an image appeared on the screen in front of them, the Doctor said, " Come here, Lils, take a look at this. "

Lily went to stand beside her dad, as did Christina, and the three of them watched the pictures sent from the probe, that appeared as a hologram picture in front of them.

" Scorpion Nebula," the Doctor said confidently, a hand resting on Lily's back, " we're on the other side of the universe. Just what you wanted Christina - so far away. I think we're on the planet of San Helios. "

" We're ... on another world? " Christina asked, while Lily could only marvel at the fact that everytime they went for a bit of a trip, they ended up on some faraway planet - though she wouldn't mind knowing how to get back.

" Have been for quite a while ... wonderful, isn't it? "

Christina nodded silently, but whatever she was about to say was lost when the Tritovores started talking to Lily and the Doctor. They told their story, and the Doctor explained it to Christina, who was still watching in confusion.

" The tritovores were going to trade with San Helios. Population of one billion. Plenty of waste matter for them to absorb. "

" Waste matter? " Christina asked.

The Doctor nodded, " They feed off what others leave behind. They _are _flies. "

Christina pulled a face, " Charming. Just remind me never to kiss them. "

Lily laughed a little - there was something amusing about this woman, and Lily thought she had a personality which she quite liked.

She tried to wipe away her smile as she looked at the projection in front of them, and what she saw was a thriving city with green trees and fields.

" San Helios City," the Doctor said.

" Have you seen this kind of thing before? " Christina asked, glancing at Lily, who wasn't quite as immersed in the projection as her father was.

" Thousands of times," Lily breathed.

Christina nodded, " The Doctor said ... he told me he's a lord. Does that make you a lady? "

" In a manner of speaking," Lily shrugged, glancing at the Doctor.

" Then, Lord and Lady for where, exactly? " asked the human.

" Time," the Doctor said, suprising Lily by immediaitely telling Christina that they were aliens. " We're from a race of people known as the time lords. "

" Then ... you're alien? " Christina asked, not even seeming phased by it, " but you look human. "

" You look time lord," the Doctor countered, making Lily smirk, before she decided that they really should get on with what was going on in front of them. As she started to think more and mroe about it, Christina did too.

" All we need to do is find that city," she said, " they can help us. "

Lily's razor sharp instincts began kicking in, and as the projection changed to a picture of the desert outside, she said, " I think we're in the city, now. "

" But it's sand! " Christina cried, shaking her head, " that first image, the temples and things, what's that, then? Ancient history? "

" The image was taken last year," replied the Doctor.

" It became a desert in one year? " Christina frowned.

The Doctor nodded, his brain clearly ticking, " I said there was something in the sand. The city, the ocean, the mountains, the wildlife, the 100 billion people, turned to sand. All those voices in Carmen's head - she'd hearing them die. "

Lily winced, and she whispered, " Something destroyed the whole city. "

Suddenly, her phone started to ring from the Doctor's pocket, and as he pulled it out, his daughter poked his side, " Speakerphone," she told him.

The Doctor nodded and set it to speakerphone before answering, " Malcolm! "

Malcolm replied, " It's bad news, Doctor. It's the wormhole - it's getting bigger. We've gone way past 100 Bernards - I haven't even invented a name for it! "

" How can it get bigger by itself? " sighed the Doctor, shaking his hea.d

" Well, that's why I'm phoning! " Malcolm replied, " You'll work it out, if I know you, sir. "

" Doctor," cut in Captain Erisa, from beside Malcolm, " we estimate that the circumference of your wormhole is now about four miles, heading upwards. I've grounded all flights above London - we can't risk anyone else falling through. "

" Good work, both of you," the Doctor said, as Lily wondered how they were going to get out of this.

" But I have to know," Erisa said sternly, " does that wormhole constitute a danger to this planet? "

Lily knew deep down what the answer to that probably was, and from the look on her dad's face, she knew that he knew too. He didn't answer however, as the phone beeped and he apologetically said, " Sorry, got to go, call waiting. "

He switched the phone off and switched the call to find that it was Rose.

" Rose? " he asked, " what's going on? "

Rose must also have put the phone onto speaker, judging by the voices they could hear in the background, as Rose said, " Well ... we've got those duckboard things down, but - "

" It's my fault," Angela's voice came through.

" Don't say that," Rose said softly.

" What's happened? " the Doctor asked.

" We kept on turning the engine," Rose said, her voice sounding desperate, " but ... we're out of petrol. Used it all up. Even if we can get those wheels out, this bus is never going to move. "

Lily couldn't believe what she was hearing, and she couldn't face the thought of being stuck here forever. She had friends - a team - and she had ... well, she didn't know exactly what was going on, but she had a Jack, whatever that was right now.

" You promised you'd get us home," Nathan's voice came, as the Doctor lowered the phone, his expression one of horror, " are you still there, Doctor? "

The Doctor hung up, hardly aware of what he was doing, and one of the tritovores started to speak and point at the screen.

As Lily heard what the tritovore said, she leaned in to look at the screen, and realised that the insect was right. " The probe," she said quietly, " it's reached the storm. "

" But it's ... not a storm," the Doctor finished, sounding very troubled, as they watched the storm on the projection screen in front of them.

Lily was horrified to see that the storm was no storm - instead, they were looking at millions of creatures flying around, looking very much like manta rays.

" It's a swarm," she mumbled, " millions of them. "

" Billions," her father corrected.

Lily shook her head - with every second she spent sitting here, she wished that she was at home. The only thing that kept going around her mind was the fact that if anything happened to her out here, she'd ever see Jack again. She wondered if he might have come to his senses now ... after all, he was grieving too - maybe now she'd left, he'd been able to think about it. Maybe they'd be able to talk ... although it hurt to even think about him, she started to think about everything they'd ever been through - they could ... they couldn't throw it all away.

Suddenly, one of the creatures flew straight towards the probe, with its sharp little teeth sticking out. The connection on the screen disappeared.

The Doctor groaned, " We've lost it! I think it got eaten - everything on this planet gets eaten! "

" How far away is that swarm? " Christina asked.

" Hundred miles," the Doctor replied, " but at that speed, it'll be here in twenty minutes. And they want the wormhole. "

" They want Earth! " Christina cried.

Lily sucked in a breath - she'd gotten very attatched to earth as she'd been living there about two years. She couldn't let anything happen to earth.

" Show the analysis," the Doctor told one of the tritovores.

The tritovore did as it was asked and the Doctor leaned over to look at the screen.

" Incredible," the Doctor said, turning back to Christina and Lily, " They swarm out of a wormhole, strip the planet bare, then move on to the next world, start the life cycle all over again. "

" So, they make wormholes? " asked Christina, confused.

The Doctor nodded, " They must do. "

" But how? " Christina asked, " they do't exactly look like technicians, and if the wormhole belongs to them, why are they 100 miles away? "

" Because they need to be? " tested the Doctor, thinking about it, " no, that's bonkers. Hang on! Yes! Oh, do you see? Billions of them, flying in formation, all around the planet, round and round, faster and faster, till they generate a repture in space! The speed of them, the number of them, the size of them, all of that rips the wormhole into existance! "

" And the wormhole's getting bigger? " asked Christina.

Lily thought about it and said, " Becuase they're getting closer. "

" But how do they get through it? " asked Christina, frowning, " that wormhole's a killer - we've seen it. "

The Doctor reached out to point at the screen, " No, no, see the exo-skeleton? Metal. They've got bones of metal! They eat metal, they extrude it into the exo-skeleton. So their velocity makes the wormhole, then their body makes it safe! Perfect design! "

There was a moment of silence as they all thought about what they could do to save this, and Christina thought of something first.

" I think we're missing something here," she said, " we came here through the wormhole, but the Tritovores didn't. They came here to trade with San Helios, so why did they crash? "

" Good question! " the Doctor said, nodding, " what a team! " Turning to the Tritovores, he asked, " like she said - why did you crash? "

One of the Tritovores nodded and started to walk out of the room, gesturing that they should follow it. The three of them followed the creature into another room, where there was a large open hole in the floor.

Lily knew what the hole was when she saw it, as did her dad.

" Oh, gravity well," he said, " goes all the way down to the engine, does it? " he asked, edging forwards and looking down at it, " so what happened? "

The Tritovore responded with, " The drive system stalled. Ten miles up, and we fell out of the sky. "

" What caused it? " Lily asked.

The Tritovore shrugged as if to say "no idea."

" Yeah, but wait a minute," the Doctor said, " that's a crystal nucleus down there? And it looks like it survived the crash. If the crystals's intact ... well, that's better than diesel! "

" You can use it to move the bus? " Christina asked.

The Doctor nodded, " I think so. "

" And exactly how does a crystal drive a bus? " Christina asked.

" In a clever outer-spacey way," the Doctor said, " just trust me. " He got up to the screen that hung on the wall and starting pulling up feed of the gravity well, " there's the crystal - down there. It's fallen to the bottom of the well. Have you got access shafts? "

" All frozen," the Tritovore said.

" Frozen? " the Doctor repeated, " Maybe I could open them. " He handed something to Christina, " internal comms - put that on. Stay here and keep an eye on the shaft. Tell me if anything happens. Lily? "

Lily nodded and followed after her dad, trying to keep focused on what was going on, although she kept thinking back to Jack and how much she wanted things to be how they were before.

The Tritovore led them back into the control room, and Lily wasn't quite sure what her dad was going to do now. She was sure she'd understand if she payed attention, but she simply couldn't focus.

The Doctor leaned over a control panel and started pulling out some cables, glancing over his shoulder and keeping an eye on his daughter as he did so, still worried about the state she was in.

Over the comms, to Christina, he said, " If you see a panel opening in that shaft, let me know. "

" Nothing yet," Lily heard Christina reply through the comms, since she was stood just behind her dad.

" Anything now? " asked the Doctor, switching some of the wires around.

" Afraid not. "

" Any sign of movement? "

" Nope. "

He altered another wire, " How's that? "

" Nothing. So ... let me get this straight ... you need that crystal to get the bus up and running? Then consider it done. "

The Doctor and his daughter exchanged suspicious looks, and Lily couldn't help but think Christina was up to something.

Without a word to her dad she started back into the room with the gravity well, and her dad followed, overtaking her as he did so. Just as they got into the room, Christina, in a harness, jumped down the gravity well.

The time lord and lady watched as Christina fell down the well, and the Doctor pointed down at her with the sonic screwdriver, forcing her to stop in the middle.

" That's better," he said in satisfaction.

" I decide when I stop, thank you," Christina said primly.

The Doctor pulled a face, " You're about to hit the security grid. "

Christina looked down at the crackling field of energy below her, and Lily cracked a smile.

" What do I do? " Christina asked.

Lily looked down the well, and as she leaned over the railings to have a look, she felt her dad's protective hand curl around her waist and keep a hold of her.

" Try pressing that big red button," she said.

" Oh, good idea," Christina said, before giving it a big smack.

" Now come back up," the Doctor said, " slowly! "

Christina did not do as she was told, and the Doctor reached for her bag, meaning to hand it to her when she got up, so she could put her harness back in it.

It was open, and he frowned as he caught sight of something inside it.

He lifted it out, to reveal a beautiful golden chalice, which also caught Lily's interest. " The court of King Athelstan, 924 AD. Remember it there, Lils? I don't remember you being there, Christina, so what are you doing with this? "

" Excuse me," said Christina," a gentleman never goes through a lady's bag. "

The Tritovore asked what it was.

" The Cup of King Athelstan," Lily said, frowing as she thought about where it had come from.

The Doctor nodded, " Given to the first King of Britain as a coronation gift from Hywel, King of the Welsh. But it's been held in the international gallery for 200 years, which makes you, Lady Christina, a thief. "

" I like to think I liberated it," she shrugged.

Lily scoffed, " Don't tell me you need the money. "

" Daddy lost everything," she shrugged, " we don't have any money - he invested it all in Icelandic banks. "

" No, no, no," the Doctor said, shaking his head, " if you're short of money, you rob a bank, you don't rob this - this is a lifestyle. "

" You disapprove? " she asked.

" Absolutely," the Doctor and his daughter said in unison.

There was suddenly a loud screeching from some lower level of the ship that they were on.

" What was that? " Christina demanded.

" Well," the Doctor said, " we never did find out why this ship crashed. There could be something dangerous down there Christina - you should come back up here. "

" Too late," she said, looking down, " I think I can see it. "

" Careful," he told her, " there's an open vent system - it's like birds flying into the engine of an aircraft. "

Christina was edging downwards, still hoping to find the crytsal, though one of those sting ray creature was down there, and was suddenly more important - or rather, escaping from it. Christina was at the bottom now.

" I can see one of the creatures," she said.

" Trapped in the vents? " Lily asked.

Her dad nodded, " That's what caused the crash. Christina! Come up here! "

" It's not moving," she called up to them, " I think it's injured. "

" No, it's dormant, because it's so cold down there," he replied, " but your body heat will be rising the temperature, and it will come to life. "

" Hang on, I can get this crystal now," Christina said, filling Lily with happiness at the thought of being able to get back to Earth, " I... I've got it! "

As soon as she'd said it, the Doctor pointed his sonic screwdriver at her harness, and started to use it to get her back up the well.

" Come on, come on," the Doctor mumbled, watching as the creature started to follow Christina up the well.

Christia lashed out and hit the red button as she moved past it, and creature was sucked back down, leaving both Lily and her dad rather impressed.

Lily grinned, even if this woman was a thief, she was doing good for them. The Doctor helped her over the railings at the top and grinned, hugging her with glee at the thought of her saving the day, before taking the crystal from her.

" Commander! " the Doctor gleefully said, turning to the tritovore, and the other one, which had returned, " mission complete! Now we've got to get back to the 200, all of us. "

There was a loud rumbling sound, and Lily looked at her dad.

" What was that? " she asked, " Is this place safe? It's the creature isn't it? It's not dead. "

" Maybe ... maybe the ship didn't just hit one of them," the Doctor suggested, " if there was a storm ... "

" Do you mean there's ... there's more on board? " she asked, frowning.

" They could be all around us," the Doctor explained, " they can move the infrastructure, all around us. And they wake up hungry. Commander, you've got to come with us, right now! "

" Yeah come on," Lily said, determined that there would be no life lost, not after the death she'd already experienced this week.

As there was a loud thud from above them, the Doctor motioned for Christina and Lily to go before him. One of the Tritovores started to follow them, and as the second did, a creature dropped from the roof.

Lily gasped in horror as the Tritovore was eaten by the sting ray creature.

The first Tritovore turned, ready to shoot the creature, and as it advanced on the creature, was eaten too.

" Out, out out! " the Doctor shouted, pushing Christina ahead of him and protectively grabbing hold of Lily's hand as they started to run.

They ran through the corridors of the ship, reminding Lily of the good old days, when all they ever did was run. They raced ahead of the swarm of creatures as they ran across the desert, and by the time they reached the bus, they were out of breath.

Nathan, Barclay and Rose were standing at the door of the bus.

" Thank God," Rose breathed, throwing her arms around the Doctor, a grin breaking across her face. " I was getting so worried about you! "

The Doctor kissed her cheek and Lily's heart broke a little as she thought of the way that that was usually she and Jack, so loved up and happy to see each other.

When the time lord and his half time lord girlfriend (thanks to the metacrisis during the whole Stolen Earth thing) broke apart, Rose smiled and reached out.

" Come here you," she said to her friend.

Lily felt grateful that Rose was trying to make a big effort with her, and she nodded, and moved forwards, finally letting go of her dad's hand, hugging Rose.

" Come on everyone," the Doctor said, " get inside."

Everyone went inside, except the Doctor and Christina, Rose and Lily, who lingered alongside him.

" So what does the crystal do? " asked Christina, as the Doctor pulled it out from his coat, showing it to Rose, who thanks to her recently aquired time lord tendancies, had a lot of the time lord knowlede that the Doctor had.

" Oh, nothing," the Doctor said, turning it upside down and taking four clamps from the bottom of it, before throwing the crystal over his shoulder in a way which made Lily smile.

" I risked my life for that! " Christina said, outraged.

" No, you risked your life for these," the Doctor told her with a smile, before attaching a clamp on one of the front tyres, one on the rear tyre, one of the other rear tyre and the last on the remaining front tyre.

He then went into the bus, and the others followed.

" But what are the clamps for? " Christina asked, " do they turn the wheels? "

" Something like that," replied the Doctor, " I just need to fix this. " He sat in the driver's seat and turned to Christina, " have you got a hammer in that bag, by any chance? "

Christina silently handed him one.

" Lily, phone, please," the Doctor said.

Lily pulled out her phone and handed it to her dad, who used it to call Malcolm back.

" Malcolm, it's me," the Doctor said, putting it on speakerphone and putting it down on the dashboard of the bus so that they could all hear Malcolm.

" I'm ready," replied the voice on the other end.

" Ready for what? " the Doctor asked.

" You tell me," Malcolm replied.

" I'm going to try to get back," the Doctor said, as everyone on the bus took seats but watched eagerly, while Christina and Rose took seats near the front, and Lily stood beside her dad. " there might be something following us - you need to find a way to close the wormhole. "

" Would that be a compressed burst of feedback on a counter-oscillation, by any chance? " Malcolm asked.

Lily grinned, realising she was going to be able to get back to her beloved earth soon, " Malcolm, you're brilliant! "

Malcolm grinned, " Coming from you, Mrs Harkness, that means a lot! "

Lily sighed, wishing he'd not said that - yet another reminder of who she was, and all about Jack.

" Doctor," Captain Erisa said, " what sort of "something" could be following you? That wormhole is now ten miles and growing - we need to know the exact nature of the threat. "

" Sorry," the Doctor said, shaking his head, " I've got to go. "

He ended the call and handed the phone to Lily, and just as she took it, it started to ring. She looked down at it curiously because she couldn't imagine who'd be calling her.

Lily looked down at the screen to see that it was Owen.

She was beyond suprised, and she flipped open and walked to the back of the bus, where it was quiet and she thought she'd be able to have a conversation.

" Hello? " she answered.

" Lily, it's me. Owen," he said.

" Owen," Lily said, starting to panic that something had happened - something bad had happened, and this was the only reason he could be calling her, she was certain of it. " What's going on? What happened? Is everyone alright? "

" Calm down, everyone's fine," he said.

" Oh," she frowned, " then ... what's going on? "

He sighed, and the sound of his voice made her think about home, and miss home. Or rather, miss how things had been before 456. How things had been, a week ago.

" I'm just checking you're alright," he said, " can't have anything happening to my favourite spacegirl, can I? "

" I'm ... well, I'm not ok," she admitted, " not really, but I'm here, and I'm with my dad, and he's saving the world again. "

" So you're ... alright? " asked Owen, " I mean, well - "

Lily nodded, " I'm not physically hurt. I'm just ... " she sighed, " heart broken. "

" Oh, darlin', it's going to be alright," Owen told her.

" It's not," she replied, sitting down on the back seat, glad no-one was close enough to hear her quiet conversation, " you weren't there - you didn't hear the things he said to me, and you didn't see the way he looked at me. "

" Hey, hey listen to me," Owen said, " he's grieving and he's upset. Whatever he said, he didn't mean it. He loves you, even if you're fighting. "

" I don't know," Lily sighed, " I mean, I'm just so scared that we'll never go back to being like we were before. "

" You're Jack and Lily. You're the ultimate couple - you're going to be alright - the two of you just need to talk. Calmly," Owen told her.

Lily didn't reply for a moment, before asking, " Has Jack mentioned anything about ... about our argument? "

Owen cleared his throat, and Lily heard someone beside him mumble something, and Owen reply with an "ok, ok". To Lily, on the phone, he said, " You've been gone two days, our time. And no-one's seen Jack. "

" No-one ... no-one's seen him? " she asked, starting to worry about what could have happened to him.

" No," Owen said, " the last time any of us saw him was when he came to Ianto's apartment to see you, the morning after we got back from London. When we went to Ianto's after saying goodbye to you, he wasn't there. We thought ... we thought maybe he'd gone after you. "

" I really don't know if he would have done," she said, " we was so angry, and he said ... well, it didn't end well. God, it's such a mess. Um ... distract me - what are you lot doing? "

" We're all at Ianto's actually," Owen said, " we're ... we're trying to figure out what we should do next. We're going to go down to the bay this afternoon - see what we can salvage from the ruin. "

" Ok. "

After a pause, Owen added, " We were wondering ... any idea when you're coming back? "

" Oh, I .. um, I don't know," she replied honestly, " I'm in such a weird place emotionally, I don't know if I'm ready to face everything now. "

" I've got to tell you," Owen said, " if you're only getting away to avoid things, then it's probably not a good idea. The longer you stay away ... the harder it's going to get. He could be out there, looking for you right now. "

Lily sighed, " I just don't feel ready, Owen, but I _will _come back. I will. "

" We know," said Owen firmly, " and Ianto says to tell you that you can stay with him for as long as you need when you come back. And so does Tosh. Although you could stay with me, if you wanted. "

" You're very kind," she said, " tell Tosh and Ianto I appreciate it, and I um ... I should get going. We're in the middle of a thing ... kind of a long story, but the earth might get destroyed so ... "

" Oh! Yes, you should go .. go do your thing then, spacegirl," he said.

Lily sighed, " Alright. I ... I miss you lot, you know. I miss Torchwood. And I miss ... "

She trailed off, and Owen knew exactly what - or who - else she missed.

" Listen," he said, " we're all hoping you'll come back soon, and ... and if you do, and Jack doesn't see how stupid he's being, then you'll just have to come running to me, won't you? I'd gladly have a girl as beautiful as you. "

" Owen," she smiled, shaking her head, " you've got a girlfriend, silly. And I'm a married woman. "

" Yeah well," he said in a playful voice, joking with her, " just so you know - I'll be here waiting for you, if Jack can't see what a good thing he's got. "

Lily laughed and she felt grateful to Owen for making her laugh, and she knew he'd said it with the aim of making her laugh, " Well, it's good to know you'll be there," she smiled, " give my love to the others," she said, " I've really got to go. "

Owen replied, " Alright, well, see you soon then? You promise? "

" Soon," she agreed, " and Owen? Thanks for calling to check on me. Really, thanks for checking up on me. "

" We were all worried," he said, " and Tosh and Ianto said we should so -"

Lily laughed at the way he sounded like he was trying to shrug off the care, because caring wasn't his style, but she knew better, " Yeah, yeah," she said, " I know who was _really _behind it. See you soon. "

She felt very dejected when she hung up and she sighed as she thought about going home - would Jack be off looking for her, or had he gone, like she had, to clear her head.

Would they make up, or would he reject her?

She wanted to be home because it was safe and comfortable there, yet she knew it wasn't the same now - the hub had been destroyed.

She tried to focus on getting back to earth, at least.

She walked back over to her dad, and he raised his eyebrows, " Everything alright? "

She nodded, " Owen. Checking up on me. "

" That's nice of him," the Doctor said.

Lily nodded again, " He is nice. " She sighed, " So, what's going on? "

The Doctor sighed, looking at the steering wheel, " I need something to weld the systems of the bus and the spaceship together. I need ... something non-corrosive ... something ductile ... something ... "

" Something like gold? " Lily suggested.

" Ohyes," the Doctor nodded, " that's my girl. "

While thinking about where they'd find gold from, the Doctor and Lily both came up with the solution at the same time, and looked towards Christina.

Christina shook her head, " Oh no. "

" What is it worth now? " the Doctor asked, " come on Christina, we need it. "

Christina didn't look happy as she pulled the golden cup from her bag, everyone on the bus looking at it with great curiosity too.

" It's over 1,000 years old," Christina said, holding it out, " worth 18 million pounds. Promise me you'll be careful. "

" I promise," the Doctor agreed, taking it from her slowly.

A moment later, he'd turned it upside down and was banging it with the hammer. Lily and Rose smiled and exchanged gleeful looks at the way the Doctor always managed to suprise everyone, but find a way out of sticky situations.

" I hate you," Christina mumbled.

Lily watched as the Doctor worked away, and it wasn't long before he'd welded the systems together, and was ready.

Sitting in the drivers seat, the Doctor looked over his shoulder, " This is your driver speaking! Hold on tight! "

" What for? " Barclay asked, " what's he doing? "

" Just listen to him," Lily said firmly.

The Doctor was quietly coaxing the engine, and after a tense moment, the bus started to power up. It rattled, and then slowly started to rise from the sand.

Lily couldn't help but feel incredibly excited.

Behind them, the other passengers, from Angela to Lou and Carmen, from Nathan to Barclay, where rejoicing at the thought of the Doctor flying the bus.

" Ok," the Doctor said, sterring the bus to face the wormhole, " time to go - next stop, planet earth! "

There was a blinding flash of white light and Lily held her breath, hoping they'd make it back - the thought of being stuck there forever, with no possibility of making up with Jack, was too terrible to face.

Even if she didn't know where she stood, she had to know that she had the chance of going back to Jack.

All of a sudden, they were soaring through this blinding white light, and over buildings and the river and wonderfully familiar buildings.

" You did it! " Lily gasped.

" Course I did! " the Doctor said.

" It's London! " Barclay said in excitement.

" We're back home! " Angela shouted.

" He did it! He did it! "

The happy cries continued around the room, and the Doctor asked his daughter to ring Malcolm back. She put him on speakerphone and put the phone near her dad.

" Malcolm! Close that wormhole! " shouted the Doctor.

" Yes, sir! My pleasure, sir! " he replied eagerly.

A minute or so later, the Doctor started to desend, and with the news that Malcolm had successfuly closed the wormhole, he landed the bus.

" Ladies and gentlemen," the Doctor said, getting up from the seat and turning to face the rest of the passengers, " you have reached your final destination - welcome home. "

Rose grabbed him by the jacket and pulled him towards her, planting a big kiss on his lips.

" You are so brilliant," she told him as they broke apart.

Lily smiled, happy that her dad and Rose had found love, but wishing her own love was here right now, " Dad, you are amazing," Lily said, as he snatched her up into a big hug.

" Thanks darling," he said, kissing her forehead in a fatherly way.

As the passengers cheered, the Doctor opened the bus doors with his sonic screwdriver.

When they got off the bus, they were met by soldiers from UNIT.

" Welcome back," one of the soldiers said, " if you could step away from the bus, to be safe. As fast as you can. It's standard procedure. You'll all be taken to debriefing. "

" We don't count," the Doctor said, flashing a couple of bit of psychic paper and gesturing to the two women at his side.

Christina tried to stick to the Doctor's side too, but one of the soldiers took hold of her arm, " With me ma'am," the soldier said.

Lily was looking around when she noticed a middle aged-ish man in spectacles coming towards her.

" Doctor! " the man was shouting.

" You must be Malcolm! " the Doctor grinned, only to be completely taken by suprise as Malcolm grabbed him into a big hug, which the Doctor returned as he laughed.

A stern looking woman, who must be Captain Erisa, was following the very enthusiastic Malcolm.

" Oh, oh, I love you," Malcolm told the Doctor.

" Back to your station, Dr Taylor," Erisa said sternly.

" Yes ma'am," Malcolm said. Even as he left, he turned back to the Doctor and shouted "I love you" before pointing at him, and then at Lily. The Doctor laughed and pointed back, if slightly suprised.

" Doctor," Erisa said, before saluting, " I salute you whether you like it or not. Now, I take it we're safe from those ... creature things? "

" They'll start again sometime," the Doctor replied honestly, " create a new lifecycle, generate a new doorway. But I'll see if I can shift them onto an uninhabited planet. "

Erisa nodded, " Well, I've got something for you. "

She pointed between the crowds of people to reveal a very familiar looking telephone box.

" Better than a bus any day, right? " Rose asked the Doctor.

" Right," he grinned.

Erisa stuck out her hand, " Until we meet again," she said.

The Doctor shook her hand. Erisa turned to the other two, " I'm sorry, I don't believe we've been introduced."

The Doctor smiled, " How rude of me - Captain, please meet Rose Tyler, my extraordinary companion and love of my life, and Lily Harkness, my lovely daughter, who spends her time defending the earth. "

Erisa's eyes widened as she shook Lily's hand, " Then you're in charge of Torchwood? "

Lily shrugged, " Well, my husband is really Torchwood's leader. "

Erisa smiled a little, " You know what they say - behind every man is a great woman. "

Lily smiled, " Well, I don't know about that ... "

Erisa asked firmly, " How is Torchwood? UNIT have, after all, been deeply involved in this week's events. I hear all of your team got home safe? "

Lily gave a little nod, " We'll take some rebuilding, but we're ... we're hanging in there. "

Erisa nodded and left the three of them alone. As they started to walk towards the TARDIS, they noticed Christina wrench her arm free from the grasp of one of the soldiers and run towards them.

" Little blue box! " Christina grinned at the Doctor, " we've got to get away! Come on, take me with you! "

" No," he replied simply.

" But ... but you saved my life, and I saved yours," Christina said, completely unable to understand.

" So? " he asked.

" We're surrounded by police," Christina said desperately, " I'll go to prison. "

The Doctor shook his head - it wasn't right that she came with them. She belonged here and she ha no ties to them. They couldn't take her. " Yeah, you will, you stole. "

" Why ... why not? " Christina asked.

The Doctor took a deep breath before shaking his head, " People have travelled with me before, and I've lost them all ... never again. "

" But ... but you've got Rose, and Lily, right now! " Christina pointed out.

The Doctor shook his head again, " They're different - they're not like other people I've travelled with. And bad things have happened to both of them in the past because of me - never again. "

Christina sighed, and the Doctor was unable to tell her that it was because Rose and Lily weren't human, or in Rose's case, wholly human, and weren't as fragile as humans.

At that moment, a detective approached, followed by a few soldiers.

" Lady Christina De Souza," the detective said, " I've waited a long time to say this, but i am arresting you for theft. You do not have to say anything, blah blah blah, take her away. "

The detective hand cuffed her and a couple of the soldiers took hold of her arms as she was led away.

" Doctor," Rose said carefully.

" No," the Doctor said, shaking his head, " there's nothing we can do. "

Rose hesitated before nodding, " No. Of course. No. "

Carmen and Lou approached them, and Lily smiled at the couple.

" You take care now," Carmen said, looking around at the three of them, " Doctor, you take care, and your ladies will take care of you. "

" You take care too," the Doctor smiled.

Lily nodded, " Chops and gravy! Amazing! "

" No," Carmen said calmly, " Doctor, you be careful. Your song is ending, sir. "

The Doctor's good natured smile disappeared all at once, as did Lily's. Lily stared at her dad before staring back at Carmen - this just couldn't be happening, she thought. Surely it didn't mean ... what was going on? She didn't think she could handle this.

" What do you mean? " Lily asked, reaching out and clutching at her dad's arm.

" It is returning," said Carmen simply, eyes glazed over as she spoke, " it is returning through the dark. And then Doctor ... Oh but then ... He will knock four times."

Lily was knocked sideways by this - surely this couldn't be some kind of prediction of her dad's death? She knew he still had three regenerations left, but if he used them up too quickly ... and she loved this version of her dad. It was so right, and definitley her favourite so far. She couldn't have him changing.

Carmen and Lou left, and the Doctor, eyes wide, just stared forwards for a few moments.

Lily was in complete shock - yes, it would be regeneration, but there was a limited amount, and each regeneration meant a change in personality, and was like a death. She couldn't handle any more change in her life right now.

Then, Lily noticed the Doctor point his sonic screwdriver towards Christina.

" What are you up to? " asked Rose, a smile tugging at the corners of her lips as she poked him in the side, making him squirm because it was tickilish, and smile.

" Helping Christina," he replied.

Rose grinned, " I knew you'd do _something. "_

The Doctor shrugged, " You know me too well. "

As the detective and a soldier bundled Christina into the back of the car, the Doctor used his sonic screwdriver to break her handcuffs. Christina met the Doctor's eye for a fraction of a second, before getting into the car, shuffling over, and getting out of the other door, before running.

The soldiers shouted after her, and Christina ran past them, high-fiving the Doctor, Rose and Lily as she did so, and locking herself in the bus.

" Open the door! " the detective shouted, " this is resisting arrest! "

The Doctor shrugged, " I'd step back if I were you. "

" I'm charging you lot too! " the detective said, " aiding and abetting! "

" Right," the Doctor said, taking Rose's hand, and wrapping his hand under Lily's elbow, taking a step back and taking them with him, " I'll just step inside this police box and arrest myself. "

Inside the bus, Christina started it up, before waving at the Doctor, Lily, and Rose.

As the bus flew off, Christina continued to wave at them while she drove away, and the other passengers cheered. The Doctor, Rose and Lily slipped into the TARDIS.

Once they were inside, with the door closed, the Doctor rushed over to the console.

Lily folded her arms, " What's going on? " she asked.

" What? " the Doctor asked, turning back to her.

She shook her head, " What Carmen said - you ... you're going to die! I can't lose you! Something's coming back, she said, and it's going to kill you - I ... I don't want to lose you! "

" Hey," the Doctor said, crossing the room, with a smile on his face, " I'm not going anywhere. "

" But she said - "

" No," the Doctor told her, reaching out and putting his hands on her shoulders, " listen to me, I'm not going anywhere. If I regenerate, then I regenerate. " He didn't look happy at all, and she was finding it hard to believe him, but she didn't know what else to do - she had to believe in him, " ok? I'll still be here. "

" You're not allowed to regenerate," Lily told him.

" I agree! " Rose called from the console, " this version of you is sexy! "

" Hey! " Lily said, narrowing her eyes at Rose from across the room as her dad laughed and dropped his hands from her shoulders, " I don't want to hear it. "

The Doctor grinned, " Now you know how I feel when I see you and - " he broke off quickly, and Lily shook her head.

" Don't walk on eggshells around me," she told him.

He nodded, " Where do you want to go, darling? " he asked her, in all seriousness, " do I take you back to Cardiff, or do you want to stay with me for a bit. "

" I'm not ready to go back, Daddy," she told him, " it still hurts so much. I ... I still need a break. "

" Ok, darling," he said, feeling the overwhelming urge to look after his baby girl - he'd let her stay with him forever if that was what would make her happy, and she knew it.

Lily sighed as she followed him to the console.

She just wanted it all to be over.

**Author's Note: This turned out to be my longest ever chapter - hope you enjoyed! I'm trying to think about what will happen next and am unsure of how long it will be before Lily goes back to Cardiff. I think maybe just one short chapter now before she goes bakc to Cardiff. **

**If anyone's got any ideas of where Jack could be after their argument - I've established in this chapter, that Jack disappears at the same time Lily leaves, but I'm not actually sure where he's gone, so any ideas would be appreciated, as to any ideas about the future. **

**Just to give you an idea, Lily will go home and make up with Jack at some point, and they were pretty quickly be thrown into the Doctor Who specials where the Master returns. **


	17. Trying to Heal

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

Chapter Seventeen

It had been three days, Earth time, since Lily had left.

Owen, Gwen and Tosh were sitting on the sofa in Ianto's apartment, whilst Ianto was in the kitchen, making coffee.

" So, what are we going to do? " Gwen asked.

Owen shrugged, " I thought we could wait until Lily and Jack came back - or at least one of them - before searching through the rubble, but we don't know when that'll be, so maybe we should make a start. "

Ianto nodded, " When we went down to the bay yesterday, that police sergeant said they'd been told by their bosses that they weren't to touch anything around there, other than cordoning off the area. Apparently someone had been at at them, told them to leave it alone. I'm guessing that that's probably someone from UNIT. I don't know how to get in touch with UNIT because Jack and Lily always handle that, but I could probably get in touch with Martha. "

Tosh nodded, " Maybe she'd be able to put us in touch with the rest of UNIT, who could help us with the clear up. "

Gwen agreed, " I think Martha would be the best person to contact - she's more or less the only person we know who could help, after all. I think Lily said she'd got married, you know, to another former companion of the Doctor's. "

Owen frowned, " Is there some kind of group where they all meet up? The Doctor's friends? "

Gwen shrugged, " I don't know. But I know she was on her honeymoon last week when ... with the 456, but she should be back now. "

Ianto nodded, " I'll try and ring her. Maybe someone could try to contact Jack and Lily again? "

" D'you think they're coming back? " Tosh asked, worried, after a moments silence.

" She wouldn't run away," Owen said, " she just wouldn't. "

" Do you think? " Tosh asked.

Owen smiled and reached out to rest his hand on his girlfriends knee, " Sweetheart, i'm telling you, we _know _her. She said she wouldn't be gone forever, and she was telling the truth. "

" And Jack? " Gwen asked, " I know he's changed since she came, but we still don't know everything about him. He disappeared for months once before, remember? "

Owen shook his head, " Only because he was looking for her - he didn't choose to stay away. I think he'll come back too because he knows she'll come back here at some point. "

Tosh sighed, " I guess so. I just wish they'd come back and make up. They're perfect together - they can't _not _be together. "

" No," Ianto mumbled, as everyone thought the same thing, " they can't not be together. "

Jack sighed as he sat on the sofa in the rather nice apartment.

He'd gotten here a few day ago, and it was the only place he could think of coming - Martha was the only friend he really had outside of the Torchwood team, and she was the only person he could think of going to.

He'd been trying to clear his head and think about what had happened, but nothing seemed to be helping properly.

When the Doctor had left him slumped on the floor of Ianto's apartment four days ago, Jack didn't know what to do. After a few minutes, he'd gotten up and left the apartment, before he had to face Ianto coming back and finding him there - he knew the Torchwood team would all be on Lily's side and the last thing he needed to see was their disappointment in him.

Convinced that he was right, he left the apartment in a mood, and stormed through the streets.

He had no idea of where he was going, and he heard a familiar noise.

The TARDIS.

He watched from a distance as the TARDIS left, and he knew Lily was in there, though he hadn't seen her go in. He just knew that's where she'd be.

He decided he couldn't take it anymore, and he walked away.

The only person he knew was Martha and he decided to go to her.

She'd been stunned when he showed up on the doorstep of the apartment she and Mickey Smith - her now husband, also a former companion of the Doctor's - lived in, in London. It had taken him a while to get there but he needed someone.

He explained everything to Martha and he'd gone there because he knew Martha wouldn't judge him. She listened to him and didn't tell him he was an idiot, even though he knew that was what he deserved.

Mickey however, wasn't quite as sympathetic.

Mickey told Jack he was an idiot.

Both Martha and Mickey had listened as Jack told them the story of what had happened that week - Martha had already got a quick run down from UNIT of what had happened, having gotten back off her honeymoon the day before Jack showed up at her house.

Mickey was now working for UNIT, and the pair of them seemed impossibly happy.

Martha had listened patiently as Jack told her everything, and by the time he'd finished he was close to tears. She hadn't judged him, even though Mickey had given him an earful, which Jack had found rather suprising because Mickey had never really been that close to Lily.

Jack had spent the last three days there. He'd gotten away from Cardiff - he needed to be somewhere different, so he'd gotten away to a different town a few miles away. Not too far, but far enough that he wouldn't be running into his team.

He couldn't figure out what he was going to do next and all his thinking had brought him to the conclusion that he only wanted one thing.

Whatever had happened, he wanted his wife back.

At first he'd been so sure that she was in the wrong.

She hadn't told him she was pregnant and she'd gone into Thames house knowing she was pregnant.

He stubbornly stuck to it, but the more he thought about it, and the more he remembered the hurt look on her face, the tears in her eyes, the more he realised that she was hurt too, and she needed him. The last thing she'd needed was him arguing with her, and he knew he'd treated her terribly.

He couldn't believe he'd been so stupid.

As he sat on the sofa, he sighed when he saw Martha and Mickey in the kitchen through the door. They looked impossibly happy and were looking into each others eyes as they spoke, arms around each other.

They looked like nothing else in the world mattered, and he supposed that's what he and Lily always looked like to anyone else.

It made him miss his wife more than he could imagine, and he stared to think about all the things they'd been through. They'd been through far too much for him to lose her, and he knew he'd never be properly without her.

He started to worry about when she'd be back.

Would she ever be back?

The most serious of thoughts came into her mind - she might never come back. he might have pushed her over the edge with his stupid comments and the horrid things he'd said to her, and she might never come back.

She might think he didn't want her back - had he made her think he didn't want her?

He thought worse than ever when he realise the answer was yes - the way he'd spoke to her, the things he said to her. Some of it was unforgivable - what he'd said about the master, knowing she feared the master above everything else - and he wouldn't be able to blame her if she didn't ever forgive him.

He knew he needed her.

He started to wonder about where she could be, and where he might be able to find her. He'd left his phone at Ianto's when they first came back from London, so he had no way of contacting her.

He had no way of knowing where she saw but he knew he wanted her back.

He wondered if she might have already gone back to Cardiff - maybe she'd have come back. Maybe she'd be with Owen or Ianto or Tosh.

She certainly seemed to have made friends with them all in the time she'd been in Cardiff - it had been almost two years since Lily had moved here, and she'd become good friends with the team and gelled with them all - if not Gwen so much as the others - in a way that Jack hadn't.

He had to admit that she'd made him interact with the team more too - she'd opened him up and stopped him shutting himself away in the office all the time.

She made him a better person and he'd gone and blown it all.

He decided he'd get back to Cardiff and go ask Ianto and the others if they knew where she might be. The only trouble was, Owen loved Lily like she was his sister and Tosh was just as close to her - recently Ianto seemed to be more loyal to her than he was to Jack, and Jack worried that if she was with them, they might hate him - they might side with her.

He was worried what they'd do when they found out what he'd said to her and how he'd treated her.

He was going to go back, he decided, just as soon as he'd plucked up the courage.

Martha walked into the room holding a cup of tea and she sat down beside him on the sofa, holding it out to him.

" Here," she said, smiling a little as he took hold of it, " decided what you're going to do yet? "

Before Jack had a response, Mickey called from the kitchen, " Tell him to go home to his wife before he loses her! "

Martha rolled her eyes and smiled apologetically at Jack, " I know he's been saying it, and saying it, but just ignore him. "

" Come on Martha," Jack said, nudging her knee with his hand, " what do _you _think? I came here because I needed to get away and you're the only friend I've got other than Lily and Torchwood, and you've been so good to me, but you must have an opinion on it. "

Martha sighed, " I'm trying to to get too heavily involved, Jack. I don't want to side with either of you - you're both my friends. "

" C'mon," Jack sighed, " I've been an idiot, haven't I? "

Martha gave him a look which he knew was her agreeing with him.

" I think you should get back to Cardiff," Martha said, " from what you've told me, you were both in the wrong, but you need to fix this before it gets any worse. She loves you - go get her. "

" Probably doesn't love me anymore," Jack sighed, " not after the way I've treated her. "

Martha shook her head, " This doesn't sound like the Captain Jack that I know. I don't know a wallowing self-pitying Captain Jack - I know a confident, brave man. Go back and make up. "

Mickey walked into the room at that moment, holding the house phone and he tossed it to Martha.

" This had better not be work," she told him, shaking her head.

" It's not babe," he replied, " it's somone saying they're from Torchwood. "

Jack looked panicked, and Martha frowned but nodded, putting the phone to her ear.

" Hello? " she asked.

On the other end of the phone she was suprised to hear a male voice, " Martha, it's Ianto. We kind of need your help. "

" Ianto! " Martha said, drawing Jack's attention who shook his head, not wanting anyone to know where he was. " What's going on? "

" Well," Ianto replied, " I don't know if you've heard about - "

" About what's happened this week," nodded Martha, " of course I wondered what the hell was going on with all the kids while I was on honeymoon, but UNIT filled me in when I got back. Isn't it awful? How are you all? Are you all alright? "

Ianto replied, " Everyone made it out alive but ... well ... it's not good. The problem is the hub was completely destroyed in an explosion, and Lily and Jack have had a huge argument and both disappeared. "

" Oh, well I haven't heard from either of them," Martha replied as Jack continued to shake his head at her.

" No, that wasn't what I was going to ask," Ianto sighed, " we know where Lily is - well, we know who she's with. She told us she was going off with her dad, but Jack just disappeared. I was actually going to say that we have no idea when either of them are coming back and we think we should start trying to rebuild, but we don't have a clue how to do it with 4 people. We were hoping you could put us in touch with UNIT - Jack and Lily always do that, so we don't know anyone there. "

Martha nodded as she thought about it, " Ok," she said, " I'm going to ring UNIT for you, find the right people who should be in charge of helping you rebuild because I'm sure there was a mention of a certain division being set aside to help you. UNIT know they need Torchwood in Cardiff to monitor that bloody rift. Can I ring you back this afternoon once I've had chance to find out for you? "

Ianto sighed in relief, " That'd be great. "

" Alright," Martha said, " talk to you soon. "

When she hung up she shook her head at Jack.

" Why did you lie for him? " Mickey asked, " you shoulda just told them he was here. "

Martha shook her head, " I didn't need to tell them he's here because he's not going to be for much longer, _are _you Jack? "

Jack raised his eyebrows.

" Oh come on," Martha sighed, " you know what you've got to do if you want to have any chance of making up with your wife. "

Jack nodded. He made up his mind to go back to Cardiff as soon as he could pluck up the courage.

" Where shall we go? " the Doctor asked with a grin, standing at the controls.

" Anywhere," Lily said, not sure what she wanted to do or where she wanted to go, " let's go somewhere fun. "

" Rose? " the Doctor asked, " anyone you've ever really wanted to meet? Anywhere you really want to go? "

" I'm agreeing with Lily," Rose nodded, keeping an eye on Lily, worried about how she was going to be, and hoping she was going to come out of it alright, " somewhere fun. "

The Doctor nodded, trying to think of something that might cheer up his beloved daughter. He smiled when he thought of it, " Do you fancy meeting some royals? "

Lily smiled - she knew that her dad was trying to help her, and she knew she should be grateful. She didn't know how she was supposed to act and she was so worried about how things would end up with Jack - she wanted something to distract her.

" Sure," she said, " which ones? "

" Wait and see. "

Lily wondered if it wouldn't be better if she went back home, tried to find Jack and fix things with him.

She didn't know what was going to happen and she was still so scared he'd reject her, but she started to think that it might help her if she went home and tried to make up with him. Things wouldn't get any better if she stayed away.

She made her mind up that she was going to go home after this trip.

Unless she lost her nerve.

The TARDIS started to move, and Lily couldn't help but admit that she was looking forward to seeing where they were going, and having a new adventure. She loved meeting new people, after all, and hoped it would be someone exciting.

When the TARDIS stopped, the Doctor grinned.

" Well, ladies," he said, " how do you fancy a garden party at Buckingham palace? "

" Really? " Rose asked, " you're _not _serious? "

" Oh, I am," the Doctor nodded, " we are currently parked at the bottom of the Mall. And - " he whipped out some psychic paper, " we're invited to meet the elite. I suggest you go get changed. "

Rose grinned, heading off to the TARDIS's huge wardrobe, and Lily hung back a bit.

" You alright? " the Doctor asked her, smiling.

She shrugged, " Kind of. I miss ... " she stopped before finishing, " I miss Cardiff and I miss my friends. "

The Doctor looked at her seriously and he shook his head, " You sure you're ok with this? "

She nodded, " I think I could do with something fun. I need cheering up. "

He smiled a little, " Alright darling, you go get changed then. Can't meet handsome princes, looking like that, can you? Not to mention dear old Liz the second. "

She smiled, though it didn't quite reach her eyes, " Of course - let me go find something more appropriate to a garden party. "

She left the control room and was soon in the huge wardrobe.

The TARDIS had a very extensive wardrobe and their were clothes for pretty much anything the time travellers could want. Lily looked around and picked up a beautiful orange dress with a demure white bolera jacket over her shoulders. She found an orange fascinator for her hair and matching shoes and a clutch bag, before heading back to the control room.

She tried to plaster a smile across her face as she left her bedroom but it was a rather fake smile.

When she joined her dad in the console room, she found Rose standing beside him, wearing a lovely pale pink dress.

" Hey, you look beautiful," the Doctor informed his daughter.

" Thanks," she smiled a little, before looking at Rose, " you look good too. "

Rose smiled, " Come on," she said to Lily, " how about we go meet some handsome princes? "

Lily smiled a little as the Doctor cleared his throat. Rose glanced at him to see the expectant look on his face and Rose giggled a little.

" Just because I've got a boyfriend doesn't mean I can't have a little look elsewhere," she said innocently.

The Doctor shook his head and moved over to the doors of the TARDIS, " Please behave yourselves, won't you? " he asked, looking over his shoulder at them.

" You're the one who gets the rest of us in trouble," Lily said indignantly.

The Doctor pulled a face, " Me? Never. "

He stepped out of the TARDIS and the two girls followed.

Lily smiled when she realised they were parked at the bottom of the Mall, the long street leading up to Buckingham Palace. It was great to be out having an adventure and she felt like it was exactly what she needed to take her mind off everything else.

" So, who are we? " Rose asked, excited - it would be the first time she'd met any of the British royal family, and when Lily thought about it, she realised it would also be the first time she and her dad had met any of the current royal family.

The Doctor whipped out the psychic paper and thought about it, before flashing it to the two women.

Lily nodded as she read it - apparently the Doctor and Rose were the Duke and Duchess of Powell (which they Doctor informed the girls was a small estate in Scotland - or so they'd pretend) and Lily was the "Duke's" sister, Lady Lily Powell.

When they got to the palace, Lily grinned at the sight of it - she'd ever actually been there and going to one of the Queen's garden parties was one of the most exciting things she could imagine doing. Especially as the princes were both rather handsome.

They were shown through to the garden at the back of the palace when their admissions had been checked, and the psychic paper one again served them well.

When they got to the gardens, they were handed a glass of champagne each by a passing waiter, and Lily smiled.

" Now this, is the life," she said, looking around.

Rose nodded, and as she looked around, she took a little step towards Lily. " Look," she whispered, " it's Kate Middleton! With Prince William! "

Lily grinned, " He's not quite my type," she said, " Prince Harry however ... oh he's gorgeous. "

Rose laughed and the Doctor looked at the pair of them, " Well ladies," he said, " how about we go and explore? "

Lily smiled, " Who do you want to see? " she asked him, suspiciously.

He shrugged, " I heard someone on the way in saying that the Duke of Westminster is here, and as far as I know he's been doing some new research on - "

Lily rolled her eyes, " I should have known it was something serious ... something ... boring. "

Rose sighed, " I want to see princess and real duchesses," she told him with a pout. The Doctor sighed as he recognised the pout he usually had very little resistance to.

" Fine," he said, " let me just have a quick chat with him, then I promise we'll try and find you a princess. "

Lily rolled her eyes, " I'm going to go for a walk then. Catch up with you in a bit? "

Her dad nodded and they went their seperate ways.

Lily didn't know the exact protocol for a garden party but she was pretty sure that it consisted of the chief members of the royal family being sent on different routes around the garden and each being presented with a few people.

As she walked, she stopped by a tent where there were little cakes on offer and as she picked one up, she smiled at a woman who was picking one up off the same plate. For a moment, she didn't recognise the woman, but she suddenly realised it was Princess Beatrice - a granddaughter of the Queen.

The princess looked at her curiously and then smiled.

" I'm sorry," the princess said, " only, I love your dress. "

Lily smiled and remembered to drop a curtsey out of respect for the young princess.

Princess Beatrice smiled, " I don't think we've met before. Sorry, what can I call you? "

Lily smiled wider and tried to act like somebody who went about these kind of functions all the time, " Lily," she said, " Lady Lily Powell, your highness. Sister to the Duke of Powell. "

" Powell? " Beatrice said as though she was trying to think about it, " is that ... "

" In Scotland, your highness," she replied, " a small estate. "

" Of course," Beatrice nodded, unwilling to admit that she didn't know where it was and willing to accept that she had probably had heard it before and forgot about it.

Beatrice looked just about to say something else when she looked over Lily's shoulder and smiled.

" Ah," she said, spying someone coming towards them, " I must introduce you to my cousin if he comes this way. "

Before Lily had chance to look, a figure in a suit had come up behind her and walked around her, coming to stand next to Princess Beatrice.

" Bea," he said with a smile, leaning in and planting a kiss on her cheek.

" Harry," she smiled, returning the little peck.

Lily couldn't believe the Prince Harry was standing in front of her. He was more handsome than the thought he would have been and she felt a bit of pain when she thought that Jack would probably like to be here and see the gorgeous young people there.

Harry looked at her and she smiled, though she knew it wasn't proper to introduce herself first. Harry had the most charming smile and Lily knew he had a reputation as a ladies man, though in her current regeneration, she looked about 30, which was a few years older than he was.

Harry looked at his cousin expectantly, and she smiled.

" Harry, this is Lady Lily Powell. Lady Powell, His Royal Highness, the Prince Hary. "

Lily dropped him a curtsey and when she drew herself back up he smiled and reached for her hand, placing a kiss on the back of it.

" A pleasure," he said.

" Sir," she said, with a nod, blushing slightly - this was someone who she had wanted to meet for quite a while but never got around to it.

He shook his head, " None of this "sir" business," he said with a smile, " makes me feel very old. Are you here alone? " he asked.

She smiled, " My brother and his wife are here somewhere, but we got seperated," she replied, as she noticed him eyeing her empty glass.

" Another drink? " he asked her.

" Please," she smiled graciously.

Princess Beatrice left them alone when she spotted some of her friends not too far away. When Harry returned to Lily he handed her a glass and clinked his own against hers before taking a sip.

They decided to take a walk around the garden and Lily was taken in by all the people in fancy clothes and the beautiful garden. And although there was a handsome prince by her side who seemed quite taken by her, she felt that the one thing missing was her handsome hero captain.

The prince was talking about a charity function he'd been at a few days earlier, when Lily noticed that they'd veered off the path a little.

She was curious but was following his lead.

Soon there was no-one else nearby and they were in some kind of remote corner of the garden.

She winced a little as she thought about what kind of situation she'd just gotten herself into. Harry had a reputation for being one for the ladies and she was married. She wasn't giving out the right kind of signals - she worried she was giving him the message that she was interested.

She turned to look at him and he was grinning at her.

" So," he said, " a friend of mine has a book launch in a couple of days - maybe you'd like to come? "

" I .. um ... I don't know if that's a good idea," she said, shaking her head.

He didn't looked fazed, " Aw come on," he said, " it could be fun. "

When she didn't respond, the cheeky prince took a step forwards and laid a hand on her waist. She was to suprised to do anything but as he started to lean in she realise this wasn't what she wanted.

If there was ever a moment for realising that she and Jack were meant to be, and all she wanted was Jack, this was it. The moment she was about to push away a very handsome eligable prince because she already had someone ten times better for her.

She shook her head and leaned back, worried about how to handle it.

" I'm so sorry," she said, " but I can't do this. "

He looked suprised and he raised his eyebrows.

She shook her head and continued, " I'm sorry if I gave you the wrong impression but I'm kind of ... it's complicated. "

" Oh," he said, with a certain amount of understanding in his voice, " complicated. That ... that explains it. I'm sorry," he said, taking a step back.

She sighed and turned her back on him, wishing she was just back at home, before anything bad had happened, when they were just perfectly happy.

" I know a little about complicated relationships," he said, " need to talk? "

She groaned, running a hand through her hair and turning back around to face him, suprised to be met by a sympathetic face.

" Honestly," he said, " it's ok, I shouldn't have pushed it. "

She shook her head, " It's just ... there's this guy ... I've been with him a while and we had an argument, but a really big one. I just ... don't know where we are and I'm all over the place. "

Harry had a kind smile and he shook his head.

" Look," he said, " if you love someone, don't let the arguments get in the way. Look at my brother and his girlfriend, they've been together years, they've had a couple of fall outs, but they know what they want and they've made it work. "

Lily smiled.

Harry added, " And if you turned down a kiss and a date with a handsome prince, you must really love this guy. "

She laughed, " You're very kind," she said, realising that she knew now exactly where she wanted to be.

Jack had said some pretty horrible things to her but he was grieving too and he kind of had a right to be as angry as he was, she thought, though he'd definitley gone far too far. But she could forgive him because he _was _grieving and she'd done wrong too. And she did know she absolutely loved him more than anything else.

He nodded at her and he reached out and kissed her hand, before bowing over it, to which she curtseyed, before they went their seperate ways.

As she walked back through the gardens, Lily spotted her dad and Rose. She walked up behind them and tapped her dad on the shoulder.

He turned around and looked at her.

" Hey," he grinned, " you alright? "

She smiled, " Yeah. I just met some really great people. "

The Doctor looked at her - she seemed happier than she had since he'd first picked her up from Cardiff and she'd been a mess.

" What's going on? " he asked with a smile.

" Nothing," she said, taking a bit of food from a passing waiter with a tray, " I just decided that I'm going to go home. "

" You are? " Rose asked, sounding thrilled, " I mean, not that I don't want to spend time with you, but you and Jack are made for each other. You've gotta make it up. "

Lily nodded, and although she was very nervous that something could go wrong, or that he wouldn't want her back, she knew she needed to get back there. If she stayed away, she'd only be running and hiding and that was no good for her.

She was terribly nervous that Jack would still be furious and he'd stick by his original thoughts that he was so crushed he couldn't think of her the same any more, but she knew she needed go to back.

It was time to face up and go home.

* * *

**Author's Note: Just a chapter to bridge the gap between them falling out and making up, which should be in the next chapter and to show them both making the decision to go home. Their make-up should be in the next chapter - I'm not quite sure how it's going to happen yet. I think it will be a grovelling apology from Jack followed by lots of hugs. Let me know if there's any thoughts.**

**I'm also thinking of writing some smut (maybe a series of one shots) for Jack and Lily because they're a very passionate couple, and I've never written smut before, but I don't know if anyone would be interested in reading that. Let me know.**


	18. Home

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

**Authors Note: After this chapter, there'll be a bit of rebuilding the hub and just being happy together before the return of the master and the doctor's regeneration. **

**After that I'll probably do a short story where they're just happy together and rebuilding their hub, with the occasional journey with the Doctor. The problem I realised I had the other day, was that by keeping Rose, I'm going to have trouble with River Song, and how to work her in - any ideas are appreciated. **

**After a story where they're just happy for a while, I'll probably be writing Torchwood: Miracle Day, possibly with a pregnant Lily. **

Chapter Eighteen

Lily walked around the console room wringing her hands out nervously.

The TARDIS was in flight and Lily was heading home.

She was incredibly nervous about what might happen - Jack had been so angry with her when they'd last seen each other and she was so worried that things wouldn't turn out properly.

She wanted her husband back - he'd said some horrible things to her, and she was angry with him for it, but she knew she couldn't live without him. Whatever he'd said, whatever he'd done, she didn't care because she didn't know how to live without him.

She knew she didn't want anyone else.

She could easily accept that he'd been angry, emotional, and after the week they'd had, it had been so hard on them. Possibly the worst thing they could have imagined - she couldn't blame him for what had happened. She had to accept that he was grieving.

But she needed him to accept the same of her.

She knew she was to blame as much as he was and she just wanted to put it all behind her.

She hoped as hard as possible that they'd be able to work through it.

Lily couldn't imagine not having her husband by her side and she started to think about what she'd do if she didn't have him. She loved Torchwood and she loved her friends and she didn't want to leave all that behind.

The Doctor assured her she was being stupid.

The Doctor was furious with Jack for the argument he'd had with Lily and the things he'd said about her, the night Lily had left with him in the TARDIS. He'd been ready to kill Jack but he couldn't shake off the feeling that that wasn't the real Jack.

He knew that that was a man tainted with grief, misery and confusion and he knew that ordinarily, Jack would have done anything for Lily. He was certain that if Lily went back, she'd make up with Jack.

He knew Jack would be very very sorry and he knew Lily would never be happy unless she was with Jack again.

He was certain that Lily and Jack would make it up.

As the TARDIS landed, Lily swallowed hard.

" Oh god," she mumbled, " this is it. "

" Darling, it's going to be fine," the Doctor said from behind her.

" I'm not so sure," she said.

The Doctor shook his head.

" Look at me," he said sternly, reaching out and touching her shoulder. She sighed and turned around to look at him and he looked at her seriously, putting both of his hands on her shoulders.

" You listen to me," he said, meeting her eyes, " Jack loves you. Yes, you had a pretty big argument, but that'll go away. he loves you and you're going to make up. I've got a feeling that wherever he is he's regretting everything he said to you, and he's ready to make up. "

Lily nodded silently and her dad leaned in and planted a protective kiss on her forehead.

" Good luck," he said, " and I want you to ring me when it's all sorted, so I know that you're ok. "

She nodded and took a deep breath, " I ... I can do this. "

" I know you can," he said, slightly amused, " now get out of here. "

She threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly. " Thanks for being here dad," she sighed, " I don't know what I'd do without you, you know. "

He sighed, " You know I'm always here. Good luck darling. "

Lily said goodbye to Rose too and then she stepped out of the TARDIS.

She stood very still as she watched the TARDIS fade away and then she realised it was time to face up.

She wasn't even sure if he'd still be in Cardiff anyway. She knew how much Tosh and the others cared about her - Owen was fiercely protective and Ianto had been so great to her in the whole horrible week. Even Gwen cared, although Gwen was still clearly all for Jack.

She knew that if her friends knew some of the things Jack had said to her, they wouldn't be very forgiving. All they knew was that the pair of them had had an argument and Lily wanted to get away for a bit, clear her head.

She didn't know where to find Jack but she could only think of going to the last place she'd been - Ianto's.

As she stood by herself, she looked across the bay. She couldn't resist going across to have a look.

Most of the bay was taped up, and since it was evening, and it was growing dark, there were none of the unit officers who'd been guarding the bay around.

Although Lily didn't know it, Martha had put Ianto in touch with UNIT, and UNIT had sent down several officers to start the reconstruction of the hub. The local police force had instructions to keep out, and UNIT had agreed to start with the clean up, although they wouldn't rebuild it all until Jack and Lily were back to make the plans for the reconstruction. At the moment, they were just cleaning it up and seeing what they could recover.

Lily sighed at the thought of her home being destroyed like that.

It was ironic that she'd been flicking through the property listings of the newspaper only a couple of hours before the whole thing had started with the children and the 456.

She'd fancied a proper house now she and Jack were married, somewhere close to the hub, so that when they had a family, they'd have a proper house. Now thanks to the state of the hub, they'd have to find a new house.

She turned her back on the hub and decided she needed somewhere to go.

She decided to go to Ianto's.

Ianto had been so good to her, letting her stay at his that first horrible night after the 456 were gone and she just needed to go and find one of her friends.

She was lost in thought as she went off to Ianto's flat. Ianto lived close to the bay and in ten minutes, she found herself outside the building. She pressed the buzzer for his flat and a moment later, was rewarded by his luscious welsh tone.

" Hello? "

" Ianto," she said, breathing a sigh of relief, " it's me. It's - "

" Lily! " he said, completely stunned, " Lily, you're back! " She heard him shout, " Guys! It's Lily - she's back! "

She assumed the others were all up there, and Ianto said, " I'm letting you in now, Lily. Come in. "

She heard the door click and she smiled as she pushed it open. She felt nervous but also just so relieved to be back. She wondered if Jack would be up there and she found herself holding her breath as she walked up the stairs.

She walked up three flights of stairs and stopped outside the first apartment on the fourth floor - the one belonging to Ianto.

As she raised her hand to the door, it swung open and Ianto stood there.

He looked pleased to see her and he noted that she looked much better than the last time he'd seen her. She'd been pale, drawn, tired, but she looked healthier, less tired, now.

She sighed, " It's so good to see you. "

" Hey, we're just glad you came back at all," he said.

She shook her head, " Come here," she commanded.

He smiled and as she stepped forward and opened her arms, he obeyed, wrapping his arms around her and hugging her tightly. She felt so much comfort from the young welshman and ti was so good to be home again - Ianto was a lovely reminder of home.

He hugged her tightly and kissed her cheek before letting go of her. He felt he'd grown so much closer to her in the horrid week, and he'd seen a completely new vulnerable side to her that made him want to look after her and protect her as much as Owen did.

" We were all so worried about you," Ianto said.

She shook her head, brushing past him as he stepped back to let her in.

" You didn't think I'd stay away, did you? "

Ianto didn't reply, and Lily smiled a little as she looked around the room. Owen and Tosh were sitting on the sofa and Gwen was curled up in an armchair. The tragic events of the week had drawn them all closer and they were all relying on each other for support.

All three of them looked thrilled to see her and Owen was the first one to stand up.

" Did you miss me, kids? " she asked.

It was the kind of thing that struck them all as something Jack would have said, but nonetheless they were so happy to see her that they forgot about it.

" Thank god you're alright," Owen said, pulling her into a big warm hug before he could even protest. He held her in a tight warm embrace and she smiled, feeling safe and secure.

" Told you on the phone the other day that I was fine," she said, " and I _did _promise you all I'd come back. "

Owen smiled and when they broke apart, he grinned, and kissed her cheek, " Good to have you back. " He allowed a cheeky smirk to cross his face, " it's nice that you came all the way back for me. "

Tosh rolled her eyes and pushed her boyfriend out of the way slightly so she could embrace Lily. Lily felt so much comfort from Tosh, and the pair of them hugged.

" Glad you're back," Tosh said.

Lily smiled and even Gwen got up and embraced her briefly.

" So," Lily said, looking around at everyone, " has anyone heard from Jack, then? I know you said on the phone that he'd ... disppeared, but ... "

Gwen shook her head, sitting down again, " No-one's seen him in days. "

" How long have I been gone? " Lily asked.

" A week," Ianto replied, wandering over to his kitchen, which was joined to the living room with no walls, " d'you want a coffee? "

" Ooh please," she said, sitting down on the footstool beside the armchair Gwen was sitting in, opposite the sofa Owen and Tosh were sat on. " So no-one's heard from him? " she asked, " no-one knows where he could be? "

" He'll come back," Tosh said confidently.

" Will he? " she asked, her voice quivering a little.

" Yes! " Ianto called from the kitchen.

Tosh nodded, " He's just taking some time out - just like you did. He'll come home soon. "

Lily sighed and when Ianto came into the room she gladly accepted a mug of coffee from him and shifted over so he could sit down next to her.

" You two are so similar, you know," ianto told her, " so I wouldn't be suprised if he'd decided to come back after a week away, just like you have. You don't need us to tell you how much he loves you - I've never seen anyone with a connection like you two. "

Lily bit her lower lip nervously, " I just hope everything works out alright. "

" It will," Ianto said.

She smiled at him gratefully for his words. She knew there was nothing more any of them could do about Jack - she just needed him to be here so that she could make it up with him.

They were all silent for a couple of minutes, and Lily broke the silence.

" So, what have you lot been up to? " she asked, " there must be a reason why you've all gathered here? "

They all looked at each other and Owen said, " We've been trying to decide what we can do next. About the hub - we got in touch with UNIT a couple of days ago, and they sent a load of men over here. We met with them yesterday. They've sealed up the whole area and they've started trying to salvage some things. "

Lily nodded, impressed, " Nice work," she said, " have they found anything? "

" Few things," Ianto replied, " they've been told to pass everything they find onto us. So far we've got some clothes that they must have salvaged from your bedroom. There's a whole desk drawer - seems to have come from Jack's desk. All sorts of stuff in it. Couple of things that must have come from the archives, but to tell you the truth, nearly everything that was down there as been blown to pieces. "

" Right fuckin' mess," Owen said, shaking his head, " although they reckon that the morgue was hardly touched. Apparently you just can't blow up the kind of metal that the morgue's made from. Just as well too, otherwise there'd be dead bodies left right and centre. "

Lily sighed at the thought of everything being destroyed. The computers, the archives, all their reports, their lives.

" Although the SUV _did _get found," pointed out Gwen.

" It did? " Lily asked, perking up.

Ianto nodded, " Police got in touch with us a few days ago. "

" Luckily a lot of our computer programs were installed on the computers in the SUV so when we get up and running, we'll be able to get all that back. I should be able to set up all the computers properly once we get the hub back. We'll be able to have all our systems back, all our program," Tosh said, " and in the meantime we could set the computers up in one of our homes - keep monitoring the rift. "

Lily nodded, " That's something I guess. Unfortunately the rift doesn't stop being active just because we've lost our hub. "

" There was a photo albumn too," Tosh said.

Lily's heart leapt.

" The photo album survived? " she asked with a smile, " my photo albumn? "

" Everything that they saved is in the spare bedroom," Ianto said, " and the SUV is in Gwen's garage. "

Lily smiled and as she sipped her coffee, she said, " It's our wedding photos, that album is," she told them all, " and our honeymoon pictures. I'm so glad I've got it back. "

They stayed there talking for a while, and after a while, Gwen checked her watch.

" I'd better get going home," she said, " Rhys'll be just in from work, I'd better go have some tea. "

Tosh nodded, " I think I'll get off too. "

Owen stood up and he took Tosh's hand, pulling her with him. " I'll walk you home, babe," he said, showing off a sweet side that no-one ever thought him capable of (other than the way he treated Lily).

Owen lived ten minutes away from Tosh and it would be nothing for him to walk her to hers, and then walk to his own home - unless he planned on stayed the night at hers.

Although Owen, Ianto and Gwen all had cars, they hardly seemed to use them. They all spent so much time at Torchwood that they just used them to drive to work and back, but since some of them didn't live very far away, they often walked.

" You got somewhere to stay tonight? " Owen asked Lily.

Before she could speak, Ianto spoke up.

" She can stay here," he said.

Lily looked at him and smiled, " Thanks sweetie," she said, " you're too kind. "

He shook his head, " Any friend would do the same. "

Owen smiled, " Guess I'll see you lot tomorrow or something, then? " He looked down at Lily, " if jack doesn't come back anytime soon, then just remember what I told you, eh? You can always come running to me. "

Tosh shook her head, " Owen, I'm sure she doesn't want you flirting with her. Leave her alone. "

Lily smiled, " Well Tosh, I appreciate your sticking up for me. I'll see you lot later. "

When they'd all gone, Lily smiled at Ianto, " You really are too good, you know," she said, " thank you, Ianto. "

Ianto shook his head, " Don't worry about it. So um ... where did you go? " he asked, sitting on the sofa and turning on the tv.

" Hmmm? " she asked, distracted as she shrugged out of her jacket finally.

" With your dad," he prompted curiously, " where did you get to? "

" Here and there," she said, " we went to Mars, you know. Really odd case to deal with. Then we ended up in Buckingham Palace. "

" Really? " he asked, interested, " meet anyone good? "

She grinned, " Prince Harry, for one," she said, sighing at the thought of it, " lovely young man, you know. If I wasn't married ... well, never mind. "

They watched the tv together for a while, and after a couple of hours, Lily announced that she was going to bed. Ianto smiled and she leaned down to peck his cheek, thanking him for letting her stay.

" The spare room's a bit messy," he said, " there's the things they recovered from the ruin of the hub. Do you need something to sleep in? "

She laughed, " I'm ok. If you said you recovered some things from the hub, then I'm sure I'll find something to wear there. Night sweetie. "

She went into the spare bedroom and she found several boxes on the floor.

There were a couple of boxes of clothes, a desk drawer with several scraps of paper in it, a few alien looking things from the archives, and a big photo album sitting on top of it all.

She smiled and picked up the photo album, stroking the front cover of it and hugging it to her chest. She fished through the boxes, clutching the album to her chest, and she pulled out a shirt from one of the boxes.

It was one of Jack's shirts and as she lifted it up, it smelt just like him.

She got undressed and put Jack's shirt on.

She climbed under the covers, about to open the photo album and have a look through, but there was a knock on the door. She frowned and called out, " Ianto? "

He pushed open the door and he looked at her- she was sat up in the bed, under the covers. He looked quite nervous and he said, " Um ... Jack's here. "

" J-Jack? " she asked.

He nodded, " Just turned up. I've buzzed him up, he's on his way up. "

" Christ," she breathed. She knew the moment would come when she'd have to face up to him but she had no idea what she was going to say to him, or what they'd do.

" I think he might want to talk to you," Ianto pointed out.

She nodded, " Yeah, I ... yeah. Just give me a minute to get changed. Should face him in something half decent. "

Ianto nodded and left the room.

Lily was so nervous as she got changed into the clothes she'd only just changed out of. She took a deep breath as she ran her hands through her hair, trying to calm herself down.

She heard the door to the flat open, and Ianto greet Jack. Jack returned that greeting with a brief word. She knew she needed to get out there and make up with her husband but she was just so worried about what was going to happen.

She opened the bedroom door and walked out into the living room.

Jack was standing in the middle of the living room, and when she saw him, her heart could have stopped. He was standing there in his usual clothes, looking as handsome as ever and he looked so desperate and worn out.

" Lily," he said, her name coming out as a sigh of relief.

Ianto, meanwhile, was on the phone.

Lily didn't reply to Jack as her eyes turned to Ianto. She watched his side of the conversation, " Hi ... yeah, it's me ... mind if I come over for a bit? ... No, stupid, nothing like that ... Jack's turned up and I think him and Lily could do with some space ... yeah, cheers mate. "

When he hung up, Lily looked at him.

" You shouldn't have to leave your own house for our sake," she said, feeling sorry.

" It's alright," Ianto said, " I'll call around Owen's. He reckons he's going to crack open a couple of beers for us by the time I get there. You need some space. "

Lily nodded, feeling very very grateful, " Thanks sweetie," she nodded.

She and Jack watched Ianto grab his coat and leave, and when he'd gone, there was a moment of silence. The couple looked at each and neither quite knew what to say.

Jack broke the silence.

He felt like it was all his fault and he needed to apologise - he couldn't shake the feeling that everything was his fault. He'd acted like such a fucking idiot, he thought, and there weren't enough words to make it all better.

He knew he needed to try and he stepped forwards.

" Lily," he said softly, " I am so glad to see you. "

She nodded, but she couldn't get any words out. She was worried she'd lose it if she tried to speak, she'd break down and she tried to offer a smile, but that didn't come out quite right either.

Jack felt so much pain and when he looked at his wife, he could the pain in her eyes, and all he could think about was the vows he made to her, and everything they'd been through, and how he'd then let her down so hard.

He could feel himself welling up and he wasn't quite sure how to make things right.

" Lily," he said, taking another step forward, " I love you, so much, and I don't think I can live without you. I don't ... " he swallowed hard, " I don't know how to live without you. I _can't _be without you. I need you. "

Something in her started to melt and she sighed softly, " Really? "

He nodded, "I can't begin to tell you how sorry I am. I ... I have acted like such an idiot. I ... there aren't enough words in the world to tell you how I'm feeling. "

She shook her head a little, feeling the tears welling up and she frowned. " How the hell did we get so messed up? " she asked, her voice in serious danger of breaking. " We ... we were solid. " She took a deep breath as the first tear fell, " I never thought we'd end up like this. "

" No," Jack said quickly, looking extremely desperate because he didn't know how to get the words out. " No, please. "

She shook her head, not quite sure what to say and he suddenly got down on his knees.

" What're you doing? " she asked in confusion.

He shook his head and he felt this he'd been so horrible to her that this was the only way to go.

He reached up and took hold of her hand tightly, looking into her face.

" I owe you a thousand, million, trillion apologies," he said, sounding desperate, rubbing his thumb over the back of her hand, " I owe you so many apologies - I can't even begin to tell you how sorry I am, my darling wife. "

She knew he'd said some horrid things to her, but she didn't think he was to blame - not as much as he seemed to think he was. Maybe it was just because she loved him so much, but she knew she held as much blame as he did.

Seeing him on his knees in front of her, begging and pleading for her, was really something else.

" Lily," he said, pleading with her, " I am so so sorry. You've got to understand - our whole argument last week, everything I said about you - it was so stupid. I love you more than words can say. I would do anything for you to take me back. "

She was about to say something, but he continued, a tear falling down his cheek as he honestly thought she'd hate him after what he said, the way he'd reacted.

" Thing is," he said, squeezing her hand and feeling that getting down on his knees was the only ay to go about it, " right not I am not worth to kiss your feet. 7 months ago, I promised to take you for better or for worse, and last week the worse came, and I failed you. It kills me, actually, knowing that I broke our wedding vows. "

" No," she said, shaking her head.

He carried on regardless, " On our wedding day, I vowed to always make you as happy as you made me on that day, and I vowed to love you forever. I vowed to always keep you safe. Some fucking vows, eh? I broke them all last week. "

A tear slipped down his cheek and hearing him speak like this, so honest and so frank made a tear fall from her eyes too. It meant so much to see him kneeling before her as penance and she knew that for such a proud man, it must be a huge thing for him to get on his knees and beg her.

But she also knew there was nothing he wouldn't do for her.

" Don't," she said, " I won't let you pin all of this on yourself. "

He shook his head, " Let me talk about it, please. Please, let me tell you exactly how sorry I am, how much I regret everything I said to you. I feel like I need to all out. I've failed you, my darling, and you deserve a proper explanation. "

She felt terrible that he thought all of this was his own fault because there were two sides to everything and she just wanted to put it all behind them and be happy together again.

" Listen," she said, shaking her head and getting down on her knees too, " I can't stand here and have you begging at my feet, because it's not right. " She sobbed, and wiped away the tear furiously before continuing, " if you want to have all this out, then we will do, but we'll do it properly. If you want to explain everything, then so do I. "

" Get up," he said, " you don't have anything to apologise for," he insisted, " I love you and I'm going to make all of this right. Get up. "

" You ... you still love me? " she asked quietly.

He looked completely stunned and he shook his head " You can't ever have doubted my love for you. I have never loved anyone like I love you, and you've got to know that. Even when we've had the biggest arguments in the world, I will never stop loving you. "

She couldn't stop the silent tears that were falling now and she shook her head.

He took hold of her other hand and he squeezed both of her hands in his tightly.

He leaned in slowly and he planted a kiss on her cheek. She closed her eyes as she felt the warmth of his lips on her skin. It felt so great to have his lips on her again and she felt her skin tingle under his touch.

Both of them felt so emotional, kneeling on the living room floor, looking at each other, holding hands. It was like the ultimate forgiveness scene and they needed it to move on.

Lily took a deep breath, trying to stop the tears falling, and once she felt she'd pulled herself together enough, she cleared her throat.

" Ok," she said, " let's clear this air. I want to apologise for not telling you I was pregnant. I know I messed up there. I should have told you the moment I suspected I was pregnant, never mind when I actually knew, then we could have taken a test together. " She took a deep breath, " if I'd have told you as soon as I knew I was pregnant, you could have protected me. You could make kept me out of harm's way. If I'd told you earlier - " her voice started to crack, " if ... if ... if I'd told you earlier, our baby would still be alive. "

" Hey, none of that," Jack said, shaking his head.

All he wanted now was for things to be alright, and he hated to see her so upset, especially with the knowledge that a lot of it was his fault.

" Please don't cry baby," he said softly, " and don't blame yourself. You were emotional, you were confused, we'd never discussed having kids. Who could blame you for being worried about telling me? And then after the explosion ... well, you spent a while thinking I was genuinely dead, you were bound to be all over the place, and we were very busy for the rest of the week. I don't blame you and I won't let you blame yourself. "

She smiled a little, gratefully, and she sniffed through her tears, " Still, I should have told you as soon as I suspected, regardless of how I thought you'd react, or how I thought we'd do at being parents. "

He held her hands tightly and she allowed more tears to fall, although they were silent. They both seemed to forget that they were kneeling on their friends living room floor, and all they cared about was each other.

They were both crying silently now but it seemed like all they could do was let the tears fall.

" My turn to apologise now, I think," Jack said, " I've got to apologise for accusing you of losing the baby because you went into Thames House pregnant. I should never have made you feel like it was your fault for going in there. There's no way either of us could have known what was in there. How can I be mad at you for following me into there, not knowing what was going to happen to us? I'm so sorry. I was never your fault. These things happen. "

She nodded.

Jack sighed, " There's something else. I've got to ... I've got to apologise for something horrible. What I said to you in front of your dad ... I said ... " he took a deep breath, hardly wanting relieve it, " about the Master ... "

He didn't want to repeat it and he didn't need to because she remembered it all.

He'd told her he thought she'd have been glad if the Master had gotten her pregnant.

She nodded, not wanting to remember any of it.

" Lily, I am so sorry," he said, closing his eyes. When he opened them a moment later they were filled with pain and regret at what he'd said a week ago. " I should never have said it. I of all people, kow that that was the worst time in your life, and it was very low of me to bring it up. I will never, ever, forgive myself for what I said about you and him. I know how much he hurt you, god knows I was witness to a lot of it, and I can only imagine how much pain you went through over that year. I am so sorry. Never ever ever will I forgive myself for what I said. I don't expect you to forgive me for it, but - "

" Shhhh," Lily said, shaking her head, " I'm not going to pretend that it didn't hurt, but it can't be reversed. Let's pretend it was never said in the first place. "

He sighed, " But I _will _never ever forgive myself for it, my darling wife. "

Lily frowned, " Please don't beat yourself up about it," she said, " you were grieving, I was grieving. There were a lot of emotions flying around. "

He nodded. It was a huge weight off to know that they were getting there and he felt like they could start again now. All that was left to do was make sure they didn't mess it up in the future.

Jack felt like he still had some very important things to say to her and he brushed his thumbs over the backs of her hands lightly. " You've got to know, that everything I did, everything I said, was all out of grief. When I found out we'd lost a baby, I was so overcome. I didn't know what to do, what to think. "

" We were both feeling very very low," she said, " I know you were grieving. The only mistake we made was not grieving together - not letting each other in. "

" How about we agree ever to shut each other out again? " he suggested.

She nodded, " Absolutely. "

They looked at each in silence for a long few moments, and Jack looked away before looking back at her.

" I'm sorry," he said, " for everything. I'm sorry, I'm sorry. " He took a deep shaky breath and felt the tears welling up again, " you've got to forgive me, for everything. For everything. Baby, I promise, I will never ever treat you like that again. Darling, I know exactly how lucky I am. You forgave me for giving the children away to the 456 all those years ago, and keeping it secret. You followed me into Thames House, and when I couldn't even look at you, you took part-responsibility for Stephen's death. I am so lucky to have someone who stands by me like you do. Any sane woman would have walked out a long long time ago, I know. "

She laughed, " Any sane woman would love to have you, I think you mean. "

" No," he said, " I'm so lucky to have you. I'm begging you, please forgive me for everything. I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I can't live without you. I once waited over a hundred years for you, and I'd do it again. Nearly lost you to all kinds of aliens, and then there was the Master. He tried to destroyed us and we still stood firm. After everything that we've been through, I can't lose you. I love you. "

He was so desperate to have her, and she knew it.

She couldn't believe how strong his love for her was and even after all this time, she was struck by how strong his love was.

" I'm sorry," he repeated.

" Don't," she said, shaking her head, as tears fell again at the thought of making up, and everything being alright again. She let go of one of his hands and laid it on his cheek, shuffling closer to him on her knees.

Her cool hand pressed against his warm cheek and he closed his eyes, feeling so grateful for her love and her touch. He felt like he was so lucky that she'd forgiven him everything but she felt like she was lucky that he'd forgiven her.

He looked so relieved, though his eyes were closed, and slowly she leaned in. Her hand caressed his cheek softly, and she pressed her lips to his.

It felt so right, like they were made for each other, and as Jack felt her lips on his, he came to life. He slowly kissed back, feeling her lips moulding perfecly around his and his free hand came around her waist, pulling her to him and pressing them together so completely.

The kiss started off slowly, and Jack let go of her other hand, trailing it up her waist until it was on her face, and through her hair. Their kiss was full of love and passion, and when they broke apart, Jack sighed heavily, resting his forehead against hers.

After a pause, during which they both contemplated it. " Are we going to be alright? " Jack breathed.

She tilted her head a little so she could capture his lips again with hers, in the briefest peck. She smiled as they broke apart and she looked at him, " Do you even need to ask, kitten? Course we're going to be alright. D'you think I'd ever let you slip through my fingers? "

He smiled too and the relief was overwhelming.

He took hold of both of her hands once again in his, and slowly he started to stand up. Once he was on his feet, he pulled her up with him.

" I think I need to make you some promises," he said, raising her left hand in the air so it was between them and they could both quite clearly see her wedding ring.

He took a breath to steady himself, the emotions not yet all gone, and he said, " I promise that I am going to love you forever. And ever, and ever. I promise that I am never going to keep another secret from you. I promise that I will never give you reason to doubt my love again, and I will never let you feel as low as you have in the past few days. I promise that I will always be there for you. "

She nodded as the silent tear fell. It meant so much that he was saying all these things to her and she was so glad they were back together.

Lily squeezed his hand and said, " I promise that I'm going to love you for all of eternity, kitten. And I promise that I am never going to shut you out again - I'm going to tell you everything. I promise that from this moment on, we're never going to stop being rock solid. "

Jack nodded and he pulled her hand to his lips, kissing her wedding ring, before tugging her hand to him and causing her to move towards him.

He enveloped her in his big strong arms and she took comfort in the familiarity and warmth of his safe, secure arms. She loved being wrapped up in his embrace and she breathed in his scent as she nestled in against his chest.

When their very long hug ended, Jack kept his arm wrapped around her waist.

" So, looks like we'll be staying here for a while," he said.

She narrowed her eyes at him, " For tonight at least. Who knows if Ianto will want you here for any longer? Come on, kitten, let's just go to bed. "

He nodded and before long they were climbing into bed together in Ianto's spare room.

Lily felt so incredibly happy and relieved as she got into bed with Jack. She nestled in close to him, thinking about how much she'd missed it and they both laid there, looking up at the ceiling.

" D'you want to know something? " Jack asked, " only, I just feel like I should tell you something. "

She rolled onto her side so she was facing him and he did the same.

" I'm all ears," she said.

" When I found out you lost a baby," he said, his voice low and soft, " I started to think about what might have been. I started thinking about how it might have been if we'd had a little son or daughter. And I think it would have been pretty great. "

She didn't know quite where he was going with it and she nodded in uncertainty.

He reached out and laid his hand on her cheek softly, his thumb brushing against her skin, " I was thinking ... I think I'd really like to be a dad one day. "

" Yeah? "

He nodded, " I was thinking maybe ... maybe it could be sooner, rather than later. "

She was stunned by his words and she started to sit up a bit so she could look at him properly. He did the same and as they looked at each other, she asked, " You want a baby? "

He smiled, " I'm not saying right now, Lily, but I _am _saying I want us to have a family soon. We'd be great me and you, and we'd give a baby so much love. How about we agree to think about it? "

Lily smiled - after losing the baby she never knew it she wanted, she'd realised that she did want a baby with Jack, even if she wasn't exactly sure when, and she was thrilled at the prospect of having a baby with him.

" Yeah, we can think about it," she said, " god, I love you. All I know is, I love you, and now I've got you, I'm so happy. "

He leaned in and kissed her cheek softly and soon they were nestled in each others arms again.

" Mrs Harkness, I hope you know that I am so thankful that I've got you. "

**Author's Note: I hope I've done this chapter justice, because I was very worried about getting it right. Any feedback is welcome. **


	19. Planning

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

Chapter Nineteen

When Lily woke up the next morning, she felt strong familiar arms around her waist, with warm hands resting on her stomach and a delightfully warm chest pressed against her back.

She smiled in contentment and looked up to see that her handsome husband was already awake.

" Morning baby," Jack said as their eyes met.

Lily grinned, and it felt like after their chat the night before and their make up, they were completely solid now. There was a vibe between them that both knew meant they were never going to let go of each other again.

" Morning," she smiled.

Jack grinned that very gorgeous smile, and he leaned forwards and pressed his lips against hers. She smiled into the kiss and kissed back.

When they broke apart, Jack grinned.

" Mrs Harkness, I'm so glad I've got you, you know," he told her seriously, relaxing his arms around her as she sat up, " sometimes I can't quite believe my luck that _you're _with _me._ "

" Don't be ridiculous," she said, reaching out and stroking his cheek with one hand. He closed his eyes at her touch and she smiled, " we were made for each other, you and me."

Jack took hold of the hand on his face and opened his eyes as he kissed the back of it.

" We must have been," he agreed, " last of the female time lords, able to travel in time and space, not even this species. And then the man who can't die. We make quite a pair. "

Lily smiled and looked at the bedroom door, " Come on kitten," she said, " we've got work to do. "

Jack pouted, " But baby, all I want to do is stay here with you. "

She laughed, " I know, and if this were our bedroom and not Ianto's spare room, maybe we could. And if we weren't desperately trying to rebuild our place of work, of course. We've got to get up. "

Jack sighed and laid back down again, " Give me ten minutes," he said.

She nodded and stood up, reaching for the clothes she'd worn yesterday, " We've got a lot to do. Need to meet up with everyone, decide what we're going to do next. Make plans for the rebuild. Decide where we're going to live, for one. "

" Aren't we staying here? " Jack asked, confused.

Lily smiled at the sort of cute expression on his face and sat back down on the edge of the bed as he looked at her. " Well, if Ianto will put up with us," she said, " but what about in the long term? "

" Aren't we going to move back into the hub? " Jack asked.

Lily shook her head, " I was hoping we could have something a little less ... filled with aliens and built underground. Maybe we could buy a proper place. "

Jack looked as if he was considering it for a moment and then he nodded, " You want a house? " he asked her, " I suppose that's a fairly reasonable request in a marriage. "

" Is that a yes? " Lily asked with a grin.

" Is it important to you? "

Lily knew she wanted a family one day - only the previous night, Jack had told her he wanted children in the she didn't want to raise children in somewhere like the hub.

" Not right now," she said, " not if you don't want, but we were thinking about moving out _before _the hub blew up so maybe now we can put it into action. If we're going to have a family one day, it might be nice to do it in a proper house. We've got a small bedroom and a small bathroom, and one day that won't be enough. "

Jack nodded, " Makes sense. Although since our bedroom and bathroom got blown up, we could maybe have more rooms built into the hub? "

Lily pulled a face, " I was thinking ... I thought maybe it might be nice to have something seperate from work. "

" For when we have a family? " he asked, " guess that might be nice. Let's get onto it. "

" You're sure? " she asked, " because I was going to start looking at listings in the area, once the hub's rebuilt, then we can get out of Ianto's way. And I've been working at Torchwood nearly two years and haven't really spent any money, so I've plenty saved up, and you've got over a hundred years worth of savings. We both know we have a well paid job. "

" Lily, you know I'd give you anything you want," Jack told her reaching out and squeezing her hand, " if you want to have a proper house, then we'll get looking. "

" Really? " she asked, exciting at the thought of a proper house that just belonged to them.

" As far as I'm concerned, you can have anything you want," he told her.

Lily laughed, " You are genuinely the best husband anyone ever had, and I love you. " She leant over to plant a brief kiss on his lips, then stood up, " I'll go get changed. Then maybe I can convince Ianto to make us some of his coffee. "

Jack nodded and he watched with a smile as she left the room.

Lily went into Ianto's bathroom and got changed, before going into the kitchen. Ianto was already there, his back to the door, but he turned around when he heard her footsteps.

He smiled as he looked at her and he seemed relieved that she was alright.

" Everything went ... alright last night then? " he asked, a mug of coffee in his hand as he faced her, " you and Jack had both gone to bed by the time I got back from Owen's, so I assumed everything was alright. "

" It was," she smiled, " it is. "

Ianto nodded, " Good. I imagine you want some coffee? "

" If it's not too much bother," she smiled, " that's be great. And some for Jack too, if you don't mind. "

" Course I don't mind," he said, turning back to the counter, " and Jack's alright, too? "

" Jack's fine," Lily told him, " we had a pretty honest conversation, and I think we're going to be ok from now on. In fact, I know we are. "

" Good," Ianto said, " and where was he, while you were with your dad? "

Lily opened her mouth to answer but realised she'd never actually asked him, " I don't know, to be honest. I should have asked, but I ... well, we were talking about other things. Knowing Jack, I imagine he went off and got drunk. "

Lily watched him making the coffee, taking comfort in being back around her friends and her husband. When he turned around to hand it to her after a few minutes, she smiled.

" Thank sweetie," she said, " I suppose we should start making plans. Getting on with the building - we need to get back underground as soon as possible. And we're still going to have to monitor the rift, just in case. It's not going to stop just because we've not got a base. We need to get everyone together. "

From behind her there was a chuckle, " Trying to take charge of things the minute you get back? "

She looked over her shoulder at Jack and she shook her head, " We need to get on top of this. "

" Baby, it's going to be ok," Jack said, resting his hand on her hip as he came to stand behind her, " we can do this. "

" I know we can," she said firmly, " which is why I want to get everyone together and start rebuilding the hub. "

" Sure," Jack nodded, " I suppose we should call them all. "

Ianto smirked a little at Lily's ability to constantly wrap her husband around her finger and reached out to hand Jack his coffee, " There you go, sir. "

" Thank you," Jack smiled, taking it in his hand and taking a sip, as his wrapped his other arm around Lily's waist. " And thank you Ianto, for letting us stay here. "

" No problem," Ianto said, " you can stay for as long as you need, of course. "

Lily smiled and looked up at Jack and he grinned at her and looked at Ianto, " We're looking at buying our own place. Well, and all our own furniture, since what little we had seems to have been blown up. "

" Which is annoying, because I had a gorgeous 19th century desk in the bedroom that I could have brought with me," Jack sighed.

" That desk was ugly, " Lily said, " I'm glad to see the back of it. And I couldn't worry too much about furniture - Dad can take me to some pretty amazing places, and that includes very cheap outer spaces shopping outlets. "

" There's such thing as cheap outer space shopping outlets? " Jack asked.

" Well of course there is," she told him, shaking her head.

Ianto had simply being watching the exchange, and he raised his eyebrows, " You're buying a house? "

" Yes," Jack said, squeezing Lily's waist a little, " I think it'd be nice to have a house, and we're going to need somewhere to live eventually. And it'll be nice to have somewhere that's actually _ours, _after over 18 months in Wales, right Lily?_ "_

Lily nodded. It was hard to believe she'd been in Wales that long.

She and Jack had got married after she'd been living with him for a year, and that was 7 months ago. She'd come to Wales in December, got married the following December - though her wedding day took place on Christmas Day at the Globe Theatre thanks to a little time travel, her reception had taken place back in their own time, on the same day, which was actually a few weeks earlier in December, back home. It was now July.

" Right," she said, " a proper home. "

Once they'd had their coffee, Lily got on to phoning Gwen, Tosh and Owen, all of whom said they'd come around right away.

She then starting searching through her phonebook again, knowing she ought to ring her dad.

" Who're you ringing now? " asked Jack curiously, watching his wife wander into the living room, phone pressed to her ear.

" Dad," she replied, " he made me promise to phone him. "

Jack nodded and made no further comment. Lily wandered back into the kitchen, and Jack left her to it.

While she rung him, Ianto got the bits of technology they'd managed to salvage from wreckage and brought them into the living room to show Jack - there were a few of the things that had been kept in the archives, but nothing remarkable.

Lily smiled as she rung her dad. She'd been so grateful for his support and knew she should tell him how things had gone.

To her suprise, he actually answered.

" Hello? "

" Dad! " she said gleefully, " it's me! "

" Lily," he said, sounding very relieved, " hello darling. Is everything alright? "

" Everything's great," she sighed, " I thought I ought to ring you to tell you how it went, since you basically ordered me to. "

" So, what hapenned? " asked the Doctor urgently, making Lily smile a little.

" We had it all out," she told him, " He apologised for being an idiot, promised never to fall out with me again, promised to love me forever and all that. Then _I _apologised for being an idiot, promised never to fall out with him, and to love him forever, and then we put it behind us. "

" Well, I'm glad of course," he said, " I told you you'd make up, didn't I? I _told _you everything would be alright. "

" And you were right, as usual, Daddy," she said, " but everything's really going to be alright know, you know. Jack and I are solid now. "

" I'm glad to hear it," he said, " and I didn't expect anything less. Give Jack my regards, won't you? "

Lily couldn't help but letting out a laugh, " Oh Dad, I think he's going to be terrified of you from now on. You _did _give him a pretty good battering. "

" Which he deserved at the time," the Doctor said firmly.

Lily rolled her eyes, " All I'm saying is, I think he'll be staying on your good side from now on. "

" Well, he'd be a fool not to. But please, do give him my regards, darling," the Doctor laughed, " and you've got to give me a call if there's anything you want. "

" I think we're going to be busy trying to rebuild the hub and keeping an eye on Cardiff," Lily told him, " but I'm sure we'll see each other soon. "

They said goodbye to each other, and Lily felt quite happy when she walked back into the living room. She saw Jack sitting in an armchair, with Ianto standing in the middle of the room.

Lily smiled as she crossed the room and came to sit on the arm of the chair, leaning against him.

" My dad sends his regards," she said brightly.

Jack winced, " I don't think I ever want to come face to face with your dad again. "

Lily laughed, " Why _not_? "

Ianto excused himself and went to make coffee for the others, who would be arriving shortly, except Owen who wouldn't be able to drink it, due to his state of being permanently dead (somthing which Lily wished they could solve, but didn't know how to.), Lily looked at Jack.

Jack raised his eyebrows, " Are you joking? The man pinned me to a wall, beat me up, and threatened to kill me. Not that I could blame him, since he was protecting you, but still ... I'll be wary of him next time we meet. "

" Don't be silly, Jack," Lily sighed, " Dad just wants to put it behind him. I'm sure he's not going to hold a grudge against you. And besides, I won't have you falling out, because you're both going to be around for a very long time. "

Jack nodded and they fell into a comfortable silence. Lily smiled and reached out to lay her hand on his cheek. She turned his face towards her and she smiled when she met his eyes, stroking his cheek lightly, as she pondered the fact that he belonged to her.

" Love you," she whispered with a smile.

Jack smiled and leaned up, capturing her lips with his and stealing a kiss. " Love you," he mumbled.

She smiled as they broke apart, and she allowed her hand to wander down his face, over his clothed chest and down until she took hold of his hand.

" You never said where you went," she said, closing her fingers around his, " last week. "

" No, I didn't," he replied, with an infuriating kind of smirk.

Lily rolled her eyes, " So, where were you? I'm curious as to where you could have been. I was with my Dad, but who could you have been with? "

" Don't you trust me, my darling? " he asked with a teasing smile.

" Of course I do, but I'm curious. Indulge me," she said.

Jack sighed, " Oh I never could resist a request from a beautiful woman. I needed a friend, and it occured to me that I have very few friends. You, your dad, Rose ... all out of the question of course ... Ianto, Owen, Tosh and Gwen ... and I couldn't turn to them. Not when they're your friends too. Not when I knew they'd side with you over me. Well, most of them, anyway. And then I thought of Martha. "

" You went to Martha? "

" I went to Martha and Mickey's," he nodded.

Lily was quiet suprised, but supposed she shouldn't be, since Martha was a friend of theirs. Still, she and Mickey were in London.

" That's some way off," Lily commented.

" I needed to get away," he replied cooly, gently rubbing this thumb across the back of her hand.

" And how _are _our newly-weds? " Lily asked.

" Impossibly happy," Jack replied, " you know, I never would have put them together, but they're pretty perfect. Anyway, Martha was very sympathetic. She didn't judge me, didn't call me all the names I probably deserved. She just listened, let me stay a few days, then told me to go home. Mickey however ... well, I never knew Mickey was such a fan of yours. "

" Fan? " she repeated, confused.

Jakc however, looked amused as he squeezed her hand, " Mickey wasted no time in telling me that I'm an idiot, and I should hurry back if I didn't want to loose you. Never realised the pair of you were close. "

" We weren't really," Lily said, " but it's nice to know he holds me in a higher regard than he does you. Then again, it'd be hard to be lower down in his estimation than you, wouldn't it? "

Jack laughed, " You wound me. "

She laughed too, " Well, you were never on the best of terms with Mickey. And never mind that. It doesn't matter where you were - only that you're back now. "

Jack smiled and leaned up to steal another kiss from her, and she giggled and kissed back, allowing him a long, deep kiss. She smiled when they broke apart, and he lifted up her hand up to his mouth and kissed the back of it.

Gwen was the first to arrive.

She came into the room and she immediately grinned when she saw Jack, which didn't suprise Lily, when she knew Gwen was very fond of Jack.

" Oh Jack, you're back! " Gwen cried, " it's good to see you. "

Jack smiled and it was clear from her movements that she wanted to hug him, so he stood up and allowed her to throw herself at him, wrapping his arms around her in return and hugging her.

When Gwen let go of him, she smiled at Lily too, and sat down on the sofa.

Owen and Tosh arrived ten minutes later and both said hello to Ianto, then everyone in the room in general, before sitting down together. Only Tosh said hello to Jack directly. Owen asked Lily how she was, and she told him she was fine.

Ianto came into the room and handed out the coffee, and Lily got to her feet, naturally taking charge.

" Ok," she said, standing up and looking at everyone, " so, obviously we've got to rebuild the hub as soon as possible. Rift activity isn't going to stop unfortunately just because - " she broke off, noticing the extremely sour look on Owen's face, " everything alright, Owen? "

He nodded.

She wasn't so sure, but she continued, " Rift activity isn't going to stop just because we've no base, so I think the best thing to do is set up a temporary base. Tosh tells me we've still got the computers and all our software, from her own laptop, and everything that was in the SUV, which thankfully we've still ... Owen! "

He was still glaring, and she followed his line of gaze to see he was glaring at Jack.

" Oh for goodness sake," she sighed, hands on her hips, " you can't be mad at _Jack_? "

" Why not? " Owen asked, " he falls out with you for no good reason, then comes crawling back, expecting to be in charge again. Expecting us all to be ok about it. "

Jack was about to say something, but Lily looked at him and then back at Owen.

" Owen, this is ridiculous," she said, " everything that happened was between me and Jack. You don't need to worry about you. "

" I'm just looking out for you! " Owen insisted, " he hurt you, and now he's back, and - "

" Oh, Owen," Lily sighed, softening a little, " listen to me. " She looked at the others, " you might as well all hear it. Yes, we fell out, and now we've made up. That's all you need to know. But you don't need to sit there glaring at him because you're getting all protective of me," she said. She allowed herself a smile, " you've been a great friend to me in the last few weeks and I do appreciate it, but you've got to trust me, when I tell you I'm fine. Jack and I are fine. "

There was a long pause, before Owen nodded.

" Fine," he said, before glancing at Jack.

Jack held up his hands, " It's ok," he said, " I think it's sort of nice that you're so protective. "

" Back to this? " Lily asked, rolling her eyes.

There was no reply, so she continued, " So, we've got all or most of our computer software, although it's all on one laptop and a comptuer in the back of the SUV, so we won't have the advance systems we're used to, but it's enough. We need to set up temporary office, and we'll move back into the hub as soon as we can get underground - we can work around the building, I imagine. "

After a long discussion, it was decided that Ianto's flat would be used as a temporary base.

The SUV computer would be installed into Ianto's living room for the time being, and they'd monitor the rift as usual. They would install a new phone into Ianto's living room, and ensure that UNIT had the number for it, to use as the Torchwood phone.

They agreed they would all meet at Ianto's first thing, just like they would usually meet at work, and from there, they would recieve orders as to whether they had work to do concerning the rift, or if they were meeting with the UNIT people who were rebuilding for them.

They then tried to make some kind of plan as to what they would need fitting in the hub.

At mid-day, Jack gave the rest of the team the day off and told them to meet back tomorrow morning.

When everyone had gone home, Jack held out his hand to his wife, " Come on then," he said, " we'd best go meet these people carrying out our rebuild, hadn't we? "

She agreed, and the pair of them went to the bay.

The entire area under which the hub had been was surrounded by big fencing and boards branding it a building site and stating there was no entry. There were a few men in yellow builders vests and hard hats outside the fencing, and it looked as though there were big machines behind all that fencing.

" Come on," Jack said.

They walked up to the men, who exchanged looks when they saw them.

" Sorry, building site," one of the men said, shaking his head.

Lily smiled, " We know. You're from UNIT? "

The man looked suprised, and she looked at Jack, who reached into pocket to pull out his Torchwood ID, as well as Lily's - both of which had been in the pocket of Jack's greatcoat.

" Captain Jack Harkness and Lily Harkness, the Doctor's daughter," Jack announced.

The man looked at their ID's, then their faces, and saluted.

Jack wasn't particularly well liked around UNIT because Torchwood were something they had no contact over, but everyone there knew his name. And everyone certainly knew Lily's name. The Doctor was a UNIT legend, and everyone knew who he was, and held him in the highest regard.

" So, who's in charge around here? " Lily asked sweetly.

The man - a UNIT operative, as were all the poeple here, although he'd had to dress in builders clothes so as not to attract suspicion - led them inside the fencing.

Lily almost gasped when she saw it. A few cranes and diggers, and a huge gaping hole in the ground. There were men all around, and the man with them, led them to a tall thin man.

" Commander," he said.

The tall thin man turned around, and he gestured towards Jack and Lily, " Jack and Lily Harkness. "

The man saluted them and then stuck his hand out to shake theirs, " Commander Crossley. We've been waiting for you. Obviously UNIT knows very little about what was actually inside Torchwood 3 before the blast, but we have orders from the highest commanders at UNIT, to rebuild to your exact orders "

" That's what we like to hear," Lily said, " obviously we've have to sit down and lay out the plans for exactly what we need. "

The Commander nodded, " Of course ma'am, although it's going to take some time to clear all this rubble and dig down again properly, I imagine. "

They agreed to meet the next day to make plans.

At the end of the day, Lily was lying in bed, and watching as Jack stood in the middle of the room, getting unchanged. Lily watched him with a smile as he slowly unbuttoned his shirt.

" Enjoying yourself, baby? " he asked as she was quite clearly checking him out. Her eyes looked quite hungry as he pulled the shirt off his body, and revealed his rippling muscles and his very fine body.

" Oh yes," she said, not hiding her shameless grin as she looked him up and down.

His eyes were twinkling as he unbuttoned his trousers and slowly pushed them down, awarding her a very lovely view of his muscular thighs.

" Jack, you're so gorgeous," she sighed, licking her lips as he turned out the light.

As her eyes adjusted to the dark, she felt the bed dip with extra weight, and Jack was getting into bed beside her. She grinned and moved to allow him room and when he laid down on his back, she curled up to him, allowing one hand to wander over his chest.

" _You're_ gorgeous," he told her.

Lily sighed in contentment at the feel of her husband's body pressed up beneath hers.


	20. Three Months Later

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

**Author's Note: Just one chapter of filling and fluff before the Master's return and the Doctor's regeneration, and the end of this story.**

Chapter Twenty

" Lily! "

Lily smiled to herself as she heard her husband's shout, on the October morning. She was currently standing in the hub, which was still under construction.

It was now three months after Jack and Lily had made up, and the rebuild on the hub had started. Those doing the construction work had initially started by digging down as far as possible, then getting all their machinery under the bag, and reducing the fencing outside.

They'd managed to get most of the big structures into the underground, and had repaired the outside of the bay, so that to anyone else, it would look like nothing was going on.

Underneath the surace however, whilst the hub was well on its way to being rebuilt, it was still going to be a while before it was finished.

They were fortunate in that they'd been provided with many members of staff from UNIT, and they had had such a good system with the previous hub, that they knew exactly what they wanted, when it came to planning.

The mortuary had more or less survived the attacks, to everyone's relief, as they had no desire to find long dead bodies of aliens and some humans, lying around.

Jack's office had been completely finished now, and was much bigger than it had been before - he'd suggested making it Lily's office too, but she'd insisted if they did that, they'd never get any work done, and instead had insisted she have her desk out in the general work area. The new shooting range had also been fully finished

They'd debated over what to do about living areas.

Obviously they'd previously had a bedroom and bathroom underground, and the whole team had had a kitchen in the hub. They agreed a kitchen was a given, but Jack and Lily were unsure about a bedroom if they were going to be moving into a house.

Eventually, Jack had pointed out that they'd have to have a bathroom for those annoying cases where they got involved in messy missions and needed a good wash afterwards - something which had happened on multiple occasions to most of the team.

Eventually, they also settled on having a small bedroom too - after all, jack had pointed out, if they were going to have a family, a bed at the hub might come in handy.

And so, a bedroom and bathroom had been built, and was finished, but Lily had insisted that it wouldn't be under a manhole cover like before, while Jack had argued that it needed to be private and seperate.

Instead, a bedroom had been built, with the door at the back of Jack's office, and locked, just like it was the door to a house. From in there, was an adjoining bathroom, and both had been satisfied with this.

Now all around the hub, smaller bits of work were going on.

The medical bay still had to be finished, the corridors leading from the tourist office (which had hastily been rebuilt) to the hub, the kitchen and boardroom, the general area.

" Lily! "

Lily rolled her eyes at her husband's second cry of her name - this time rising to a bellow.

She was currently stood on a step ladder in the new boardroom - though other than being a room, it was currently empty.

Lily had been very keen to take on an active role in the rebuild, though she didn't know what to do, and had settled on painting the boardroom.

She always thought the old place had been rather cold and unfeeling, but now she hoped to bring a bit of life to the place, hence the yellow tin of paint now balanced on the top rung of the ladder.

At the other side of the room, Tosh was also stood on a step ladder, with a thick paint brush in her hand. The others had also taken on fairly active roles, since there was lots to be done.

The rift had thankfully been quite quiet and though they'd had some cases to deal with, there hadn't been anything they couldn't handle easily enough, and after the first several weeks of using Ianto's living room as a base, they'd now been able to move back into the hub as a place of work.

Lily and Jack were still living with Ianto.

Lily had offered to move into the hub, as soon as the bedroom was sorted, to get out of Ianto's way, but Ianto had insisted they weren't in the way, and Jack had insisted that he wouldn't have Lily sleeping in a building site, when construction was going on pretty muh all hours.

As Lily's name was shouted for a third time, Tosh smiled.

" He's very eager for your attention," she said.

Lily smirked, dipping her paint brush into the pot, " Oh, he's just coming to rant and rave, believe me. I know exactly what his problem is. "

The door burst opened, and Jack walked into the room with a very annoyed expression on his face, looking down at the old sheets covering the floor to protect it from paint.

" The bloody thing won't go up," Jack snapped.

" I'm sure plenty of other people have managed to put up an IKEA desk before now," Lily said drily, pressing her paint brush to the wall and making a long stroke, " there," she said, putting the brush down and looking at Jack happily, " doesn't yellow make this room look so happy? "

" Sod the paint," Jack said, running his hand through his hair, " I'm telling you there's something wrong with the desk! It just _won't _go up. "

Lily rolled her eyes. They'd gone out the previous day and bought furniture - desks and cabinets from Jack's office, a wardrobe and a bed for the bedroom, desks for the others, table and chairs for the kitchen and the board room.

Ianto had suggested they go to Ikea - a big warehouse that had baffled Lily, due to the nature of walking round all these rooms. She'd told Jack she didn't see why they were walking around all these rooms, and he'd told her that was just the shop. Then when they got to the end everything was in a huge warehouse - all flat packed.

" Did you look at the instructions, Jack? " she asked, knowing he wouldn't have.

Jack nodded, " Yes! "

" Really? " she raised her eyebrows.

" Well ... no ... but that's not the point! There's something wrong with the stupid desk! "

" No, there isn't," Lily sighed, rolling her eyes, " _you _just haven't got the patience for it! Now, shall I come and have a look, with you? Or will it be very embarrassing for you if your wife comes along and puts together all the furniture? "

" I ... I ... well, it's just not working! "

Lily smirked, " And you need a hand getting it up? "

Jack opened his mouth to reply, but then the angry expression on his face turned into a smile, and he shook his head, " I don't know what I was thinking, coming asking for your help. Should have known you'd make fun of me. "

Lily laughed and put her paintbrush down in the pot, " I'm sorry kitten," she said, " now, shall I come and help you? "

Jack sighed, " Doesn't matter now. I'll go ask Ianto. "

" Probably a good idea," Lily nodded, " since he's a little bit calmer than you. "

Jack narrowed his eyes, " And less likely than you to make fun of me. "

" Fortunately for you," Lily sighed, picking up her paintbrush again. As she did it, Jack walked towards her, and she was still standing on one of the lower rungs of the stepladder, so it made them the same height.

He leaned in for a kiss, and Lily leaned back playfully, holding onto the kid of the step ladder for support. Jack pouted, and Lily laughed.

" Shouldn't you be off putting your new desk up? Then your filing cabinets. Then our bed, and then ... "

" Alright, alright," Jack sighed.

Lily grinned and she reached out with the paintbrush, and before he knew what she was doing, she'd touched the tip of his nose with the brush. He protested and took a step back, and she giggled.

" Couldn't resist," she said, grinning at the sight of him with a blob of yellow paint on his nose, " you look kind of cute, actually. "

Jack shook his head and he looked around, wishing there was another paint brush so he could get his own back. Instead, he tried to take her brush from her, and she held it up out of his reach, taking a step up the ladder so she was taller than him.

Jack shook his head, " You're impossible, baby. You should think yourself lucky that I don't have a paintbrush right now. And that I'm too busy for that. "

Lily smiled and she deemed it safe, taking one step down the ladder again, so they were once again the same height. She leaned forwards and he automatically leaned too.

" You know you love me," she said

" I do," he nodded, closing his eyes and leaning in for a kiss. She was about to press her lips to his, but instead took the opportunity to mischeviously take another swipe at him with the big blob of yellow paint on the end of her paintbrush.

She reached out and drew a line down his cheek with a very mischevious smile.

Jack's eyes immediately snapped open and he looked annoyed for a fraction of a second, but then his expression changed, and there was a glint in his eyes, playful and very wicked.

His lips twitched into a smile.

" Damn infuriating woman," he sighed, through his grin.

" You knew what I was like before you married me, kitten," she told him.

He nodded, reaching out to touch her cheek gently.

Lily giggled at the sight of him, and he reached out and leaned in and swiftly pressing her lips to his before she had chance to assault him with a paint brush again.

She let out a little noise of suprise as he kissed her, and he smiled against her lips in response. She smiled too then grantly him the access to her mouth that his tounge was so desperately seeking.

When they broke apart, she giggled and kissed the tip of his nose, right where her now-dry blob of yellow paint was.

Jack smiled, " I'd better go get that damned desk done. "

Lily smiled too as he moved towards the door, " Just make sure you read the instructions this time! "

Jack turned around to face her, and he gave her a sharp military salute, " Ma'am. "

She laughed, and he left the room, only to come back in a moment later, " You know we've got to meet the estate agent in 2 hours? "

" I know," she said, smiling at the thought of it, " don't worry, I'll be ready. "

He threw her a wink, before leaving.

Lily sighed happily, before returning her attentions to the wall. She and Jack had started their house hunting, and had already looked around two. The first had been very dirty inside, with mould and damp growing, and Lily had told Jack she didn't think it was _quite _right, and he'd firmly agreed.

The second had been on the other side of town and the whole area didn't seem like a nice place. Lily was willing to give it a chance, but the perverted neighbour who leered rather disgustingly at Lily on their way out and tried to grab her as she walked past, was Jack's deal break and they gave it a firm no.

" Are you still coming over tonight? " Tosh asked.

" Oh yes," Lily smiled, " I can't wait for a girly night in. I can't remember the last time we had one. "

" I've got some wine in the fridge," Tosh smiled, " and a big bunch of take-out menus, and a big stack of girly DVDs. "

" Sounds great," Lily said, smiling to herself as she continued to paint the wall, " did you ask Gwen to come? "

" I asked," Tosh said, " but she said she wasn't too bothered, which didn't come as a suprise. Not when she's 5 months pregnant and Rhys won't stop fussing over her. Wants her to quit the job right now, apparently. "

" Gwen'd never do that," Lily said, " and besides, she's perfectly safe. Jack's not letting her do anything, anyway, is he? Yesterday she told me she wanted to strangle him, because he wouldn't even let her go in his office after I'd finished painting it. "

The look on Gwen's face, as Lily's blue paint dried on the office walls and she was quickly marched out of the room by Jack had been priceless.

Lily allowed herself a little smirk, " Something about the chemicals. He's been very protective. "

" Imagine how over-protective he'll be when it's _your _baby," Tosh said.

Tosh knew Lily and Jack had spoken about children when they made up, three months ago, and she knew they'd agreed they wanted a family at some point.

Lily laughed, " I don't think there's any chance of that happening any time soon," she said, before looking over her shoulder at her friend, " in fact, between you and me, there hasn't been much ... well, we haven't been trying very hard for a baby recently. "

" Oh? " Tosh asked. Everyone knew that Lily and Jack were incredibly attracted to each other, and their sex life was obviously very healthy. As her closest female friend - and Lily supposed she could only count Tosh, Rose, Martha and possibly Gwen as her female friends - Lily didn't feel uncomfortable in conveying some of the lighter information to Tosh.

The two of them did like to gossip, and shared all sorts with each other.

Lily smiled a little, amused as she put her paintbrush down and turned to look at Tosh.

" Ianto's been very generous in letting us stay with him, but we can't ... not with him in the next bedroom. I told Jack, we can't do ... we can't sleep together with Ianto in the next room. Especially when we're in his home. And things don't seem to be going too well between him and Cate, so he hasn't been going out with her as much as he used to. And we've been so busy here with the rebuild, that we've only been able to take a couple of opportunities a week to sneak off. "

Tosh smirked a litle, the wicked kind of smirk that most people wouldn't expect from Tosh, " I bet it's driving Jack crazy. "

Lily smirked, " He is. You know what he's like - he's such a pest. I know he can't wait until we move out. "

Tosh smiled, " I'm sure Ianto will be pleased at not finding Jack in his bathroom anymore, too. "

Lily couldn't help but giggle as she thought of Ianto's face when he'd accidently walked in on Jack in the shower, and then come out muttering about how the door should have been locked.

" Poor Ianto _was _rather horrified. He insists that we're not in the way," she said, " but it's been three months. I think he's just being polite. " She smiled, " anyway, I'm sure we'll find our own house soon enough. And Jack, will be very excited, I imagine. "

Tosh smiled, " And what about a family? " she asked innocently.

" Jack says he wants it to be sooner, rather than later, in his own words," Lily said, " but maybe not right now. Jack and I are enjoying having each other to ourselves. "

Tosh smiled, " I think you'd be an amazing mum. "

Lily smiled softly, " Thank you," she said, " I never realised I wanted a baby, until I ... until I lost one. "

" We all think you'll be a great mum," Tosh said, " I remember just after you regenerated, and you seemed sort of softer, than your previous self. Sort of towards Ianto and the rest of us. "

Lily smiled, " Jack would be the world's best dad, wouldn't he? "

She wasn't just saying it because she loved him - she actually thought he'd be the most amazing dad.

He was so caring and sweet towards her, and he was very attentive. Lily smiled at the thought of it - Jack was the first person to ask her if she was okay when she wasn't, and always there to hold her hand now. She knew he'd give a baby the most love any child had ever had.

And he was brave, strong and very protective of her. She could only imagine how protective he'd be of a child - he'd definitley make sure no harm ever came to their son or daughter.

And, she thought with a smile, he was smart, so he'd be able to give endless amounts of help with homework - not that she wouldn't be able to do that herself.

And he was so handsome. Not that that had anything to do with being a good parent, of course, but it meant that if their child took after their father, they'd grow up to be a heart-breaker.

Yes, she was sure of it. Jack would be the world's best dad.

" You'd both be great," Tosh told her.

An hour and a half later, Lily climbed down the step ladder, put her paint brush down and looked at the walls in satisfaction.

" That'll do for a first coat," she said, checking her watch, then glancing at Tosh, " I'd better go get changed. "

She was wearing a pair of jeans and an old t-shirt of Jack's, which was so old it was starting to fray at the bottom but did just perfect for something she didn't mind getting dirty.

She walked through the hub, where Gwen was sitting behind her desk - the only desk that had been put up straight away, since Jack had insisted Gwen needed a desk and a chair in her pregnancy.

Gwen was sitting at her desk doing a bit of paperwork from some artefacts they'd found the day before, while Owen wasn't to be seen but was heard over where they were building the medical bay, giving orders to some of the builders.

Lily swept through the hub and went into Jack's new office, without knocking, of course.

She smiled when she saw the desk had been put up, as had a filing cabinet, and a shelving unit. When she walked in, Jack was sitting on his new desk, while Ianto leant against the wall, talking.

" Hey, you've got a lot done," she said.

" All thanks to Ianto's calm help," Jack said, nodding at Ianto.

" Ianto, you're a godsend," Lily smiled, before walking past them both and into the bedroom, through the door at the back of Jack's office.

She got changed and when she came back into the office, was wearing a knee length skirt, and a pretty blouse, and Jack tossed her coat at her as she walked in.

She caught it and started to pull it on as he pulled on his trenchcoat.

Ianto had left the office while she'd been in the bedroom to get changed, and Lily leaned under the desk and pulled out her handbag, inside which was stuffed all their fake identification.

When they'd decided to get a house, Lily had pointed out that they couldn't have their own names down on any documentation - after all, their names wouldn't be in any databases - they were hardly normal citizens.

They just didn't exist according to any kind of records.

They government weren't even supposed to know about them - only UNIT did really.

They weren't even sure if they ought to use their real names - they were important people, and didn't want any kind of trace to themselves, but it would be terribly difficult to be under different names. Although Jack had pointed out that it would only be for the sake of the mortgage on the house and their bills.

Then Jack pointed out if they had children, they'd have to have their children on some kind of records. But then Lily had said she didn't want their children to be subject to anyone they might have crossed, who might be looking for them.

They'd pondered what they should do and eventually decided they were going to have to use some kind of cover names, so Lily had got in touch with one of the highest commanders at UNIT, who she knew through their previous dealings with the most serious of the Torchwood cases.

Eventually, the man had told her he'd try to work something out for her, and she and Jack had been issued passports and managed to set their bank account up to their fake names.

Though they hadn't changed much and were still using Harkness as a surname. They'd done their research and found out that Harkness wasn't one of the most common names but it was hardly unheard of, and had decided their surname might be safe to keep.

Jack had been unsure that they needed to change their names at all, but Lily had insisted she'd feel a little safer, just in case anything ever happened.

Eventually their passports and documentation had been issued claiming they were 33 year old Amelia (a name picked at random) Maria Harkness, a civil servant and 39 year old Samuel John Harkness, a member of a department of the police.

They'd agreed to have their first names as something completely different from their own, their ages different to each other, and their jobs different to each other, just to make everything seem a bit more secure. They'd even secured marriage documents that said they'd been married ten years, to really throw anyone who might be after them, off.

" Ready to go, baby? " Jack asked her, holding out his hand.

" Yeah," she smiled, putting her hand in his. He closed his fingers around hers and squeezed her hand, and she smiled, her own fingers curling around his hand.

As they left the office, Lily called out, " You lot, we're off to look at that house! "

Ianto was sitting on Gwen's desk, talking to her, and Tosh was talking to Owen over near where the medical bay was being built. There were builders left, right and centre and Jack squeezed Lily's hand as they headed across the hub.

" See you later spacegirl! " shouted Owen as they went.

" I can't imagine having a house," Lily told Jack as they got into the SUV a few minutes later.

He laughed, " Well, you're going to have to get used it the idea, baby, because we're _going _to have a house," he told her.

" It seems so grown up," she said, a smile crossing her face.

" I hate to be the one to tell you," he said, looking very amused as he set off, " but I think we _are _grown ups these days. "

" Suppose we are," she said, " oh I do hope this house is the one. "

The house was only a short drive away from the hub, and was a three bedroomed semi detatched place. It looked very nice from the outside, with a small patch of grass in front of the hosue, and a garage at the side.

The estate agent showed them around, and Lily was impressed.

It easily beat the other two.

The house was already empty, the previous owners having already moved out, and it all seemed so perfect. Downstairs there was a hallway, living room and kitchen/dining room, with a conservatory around the back, and three good sized bedrooms and a bathroom upstairs. The back garden was nice and green and the estate agent left them in the kitchen and told them they might like a moment to talk.

" What do you think? " Lily asked as she turned to her husband, trying to keep the smile off her face just in case he wasn't as sure about the house as she was.

To her relief Jack grinned, " I know that look," he said, " and I think I agree. "

" You do? " she asked with excitement at the thought of having their own house - being a proper married couple.

" If you like this place, then we'll buy it," Jack told her.

" Oh Jack," she grinned, throwing her arms around him. He laughed and hugged her in return, planting a kiss on her forehead as they broke apart.

" It just feels right," Lily said, looking around the empty kitchen, " doesn't it feel so _right_? We could have a family here, and live here and ... and ... it just feels - "

" I know," said Jack, his eyes sparkling somehow, " shall we take it? "

Lily felt so happy she could burst, and she grinned, " Oh yes! Only if you're totally happy with it, of course - I don't want to force you into it if you're not sure. "

Jack smiled, " I'd be perfectly happy to live here," he told her, " let's take it. "

She grinned and reached out to him again, this time laying her hands on his face and kissing him. He smiled into the kiss and returned it, his hands resting on her waist.

" God, I love you," she sighed, " let's buy this place. "

" Deal," he agreed happily.


	21. Discovery

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

**Author's Note: The End of Time and the Doctor's regeneration will follow this chapter. It was oringinally set in canon around christmas time, but for my story, I'm going to have to change it a little - I stated a few chapters ago that it was July, then the later chapter skipped three months so it's now October. I've decided to change it so the End of Time is set in October rather than December - for the sake of my series it was more difficult to set it in December, because the team would have to be celebrating christmas, and Lily and Jack's wedding anniversary is in December so that would have to be acknowledged or ignored, but I wanted to write both the wedding anniversary and christmas, into the next story I do.**

**Hope you'll allow me a little creative license.**

Chapter Twenty-One

A week later, the documents were all signed, and they were due to move into their new house the following weekend.

The hub was very nearly finished, and Lily and Jack had been buying bits of furniture for the house, although Lily had got in touch with her dad to arrange for him to pick them up in the middle of the week so they could go to the cheap shopping centre she'd told Jack about.

On this particular morning, Lily was sitting on the worktop in Ianto's kitchen, drinking a cup of coffee she'd made herself, which was quite vile - but she was the only one awake and the only one to make it.

She was all ready for work, and as she waited for the other two to get up, she tried to swallow her vile coffee, while reading over her list of things that she wanted for the house and trying to think if there was anything missing.

Jack had gotten up when she had but gone in the shower, so Ianto was the next to arrive in the kitchen.

" Morning," Lily said brightly, looking quite at home.

He smiled, though his smile looked a little strained, " Morning. "

" Everything alright? " she asked him.

Ianto nodded, but then shook his head as he turned to look at her. " It's just ... well, I had a strange dream last night. "

There was something about the way he said it which made her feel like there was something he was keeping from her, and she looked at him carefully.

" What's going on, Ianto? "

Ianto had grown much closer to Jack and Lily in the few months they'd been living with him. He and Jack had got back the close kind of friendship which had disappeared when Lily arrived, and Ianto had also grown closer to Lily - although it wasn't the same kind of brother/sister relationship she seemed to have with Owen, it was still a solid friendship.

" Nothing," he said, though his eyes didn't quite meet hers.

" Ianto," she frowned, " I can't imagine why you'd be keeping secrets from me about something as silly as a dream. "

Ianto sighed and looked at her properly, " I had a dream about Harold Saxon. "

She flinched involuntarily at the sound of the name, and it was exactly why Ianto hadn't wanted to mention it. The team all knew the pain and torture Lily had suffered at the hands of the man they'd known as Harold Saxon - but who was really the Master.

Lily was stunned that _he _was what Ianto had dreamed of.

She didn't know how to deal with the information and she swallowed, hard.

" Um .. oh, ok," she nodded, feeling a nasty taste in her mouth that was more than the coffee.

" I'm sorry," Ianto said.

" It's hardly your fault," she told him, shaking her head.

Ianto turned to the coffee machine, not able to look at the pained expression on her face - clearly the mention of the man had brought back terrible memories and he wished he hadn't said anything.

" It was a strange dream, actually," he said, not sure why he was still telling her, but feeling like he should, " he was just there. Just his face. And he was laughing like some kind of maniac. "

" He is a maniac," Lily said quietly.

They were in silence for a few minutes as Lily tried to ponder why on earth Ianto had been dreaming about the Master. Ianto turned around to face her and he took the mug from her hands, pressing a new mug into them.

She smiled gratefully as she curled her fingers around the warm mug of coffee.

" It didn't feel like a dream," Ianto told her, " it felt ... it felt real. "

Lily nodded - she knew only too well that the Master was terrifying. It scared her that she'd felt like she'd never be fully free of him. They remained in silence for the next few minutes, until Jack came into the room.

" Hey you two," he smiled, wandering into the kitchen.

" Morning sir," Ianto said with a nod.

Jack smiled at him and then crossed the kitchen to plant a kiss on Lily's cheek as he picked up the coffee Ianto had already made for him.

Lily noticed that he looked distracted, and was confused by it - come to think of it, he'd been a little distracted when she pressed a kiss to his lips this morning and got out of bed, but she'd put it down to him being tired.

She was still feeling confused about the Master being brought to the front of her mind again, and usually she knew Jack would have noticed immediately.

She looked at Ianto, and saw that he was sparing a concerned look for Jack too, so she knew she wasn't imagining things.

" Jack? " she asked, biting her lip as she looked at him

" Sorry baby," he said, smiling at her, a proper smile this time, though she still couldn't help but think that it didn't meet his eyes.

" Everything alright? " she asked him.

He smiled, " Yeah, course. " He waved it off as nothing, " just a strange dream. "

Lily's eyes widened and she looked at Ianto, then back at Jack, " R-really? "

Jack looked between the pair of them suspiciously. Lily looked worried, and that in turn immediately worried him. " What's going on? " he asked, narrowing his eyes and reaching out to take her hand.

" What was your dream about, Jack? " Lily asked him.

" It's nothing," Jack told her, " doesn't matter. "

" Jack," she said seriously, " I think I need to know. I imagine you're trying to protect me and that's very sweet, but we're doing this whole "no secrets" thing from now on, aren't we? "

Jack sighed - she had him right down, of course. He _had _been trying to protect her - but how on earth did she know that something was going on? It was like she already knew what he was going to say.

But he nodded and told her anyway.

" I had a dream about the Master. He ... he was just there, just his face, laughing. Cackling. Felt so ... so real," he said.

Instead of looking as shocked as he'd expected her to, she turned to look at Ianto, her eyes wide and shocked.

" He ... you ... both of you," she mumbled.

" I know, darling," Ianto nodded - Lily was usually so strong, but she looked like a lost little girl, and he suddenly felt like he should be looking after her - it was like during the whole horrible week with the 456 when he and Owen had suddenly become the ones to look after her, rather than her being in charge.

" Lily? " Jack asked carefully, squeezing her hand.

Lily looked at him, eyes wide, expression frantic, not sure what to do about the whole thing, not sure what was going on - there was no way the pair of them had had the same dream by coincidence.

" He had the same dream," she said quietly, when Jack tilted her chin up to make her look at him.

" What? " Jack asked, unable to believe it, not even sure he'd heard right.

" Ianto," Lily said, shaking her head, " Ianto had the same dream you had. He was just telling me about it - he had the same dream. He saw ... he saw ... "

" Ok, baby, it's ok," Jack said, trying to use his most soothing voice. He kept tightly hold of her hand and his other hand ran up and down her arm softly. He was a little shorter than her as she sat on the worktop but he just needed to look after her.

" It's not ok," she told him, her voice shaky, though she was obviously trying to keep herself pulled together, " you both had the same dream, and there has to be a reason for it. "

Jack knew she was right but he didn't want her to get worked up - not when they didn't know the details. All he wanted to do was comfort her, but he didn't know what to say really.

" Baby, I'm telling you, it's going to be alright," he said, " everything's alright. "

" It's _not_! " Lily told him, " something's going on! "

" Lily," Jack said softly, " look at me. It's - "

" _Don't _tell me it's alright," she said, shaking her head, while Ianto hovered in the doorway, also wanting to know what was going on. " You've both have the exact same dream - there has to be a reason for it. And whatever it is ... whatever it is ... _he's _got to be behind it, which means ... which means ... "

" Lily, he's dead," Jack said, his face completely drained of all colour at the thought of that man coming back after all the harm he'd caused Lily - everything he'd put her through.

He'd tried to destroy her life, tried to destroy her, and it had taken an awfully long time for Lily to put herself back together. Months of her waking up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat and him holding her close until the nightmares went away. Months of him making sure every time he touched her he was slow and gentle and she was completely happy with it.

Months of her slowly piecing herself back together and becoming the Lily she'd been before.

_He'd _done that to her, and Jack sure as well wasn't going to let him do it again.

" He's dead," Jack repeated quietly.

" But what's going on then? " Lily asked, confused.

" Ok," Jack sighed, " come on, let's go to work, and we'll ask the others. We'll find out exactly how far this goes, and then we can start to do something about it. "

Ianto left the room to get his coat for work, and when he'd gone, Jack focused on Lily again.

" He won't hurt you again," Jack told her.

She was clearly trying to put on a brave face for him and he wanted to take her in his arms and never let go of her. She nodded, but it was clear she didn't believe him, and she was staring at her own legs. She was utterly convinced that the Master must be back somehow - how on earth could Jack and Ianto have had the same dream? And why hadn't _she _had it?

" Look at me, Lily," Jack said, not sure how he could ake her feel better but knowing he had to try. He too was worried that this could mean something terrible was on its way, but he was determined to try and make her feel better

When she didn't do as he told her, he repeated in a more gentle tone, " Lily, look at me. "

She sighed and met his eyes, and he smiled softly.

" Ok baby," he said, " listen to me, we don't know what's going on yet, but I don't think there's any need to panic. We'll get to the bottom of this - we will, honest. And I'm here for you, all the way, aren't I? I'm here to protect you. I'll kill him before I let him hurt you again. "

" I'm scared Jack," she sighed.

" Don't be," he mumbled, leaning in and planting a soft kiss on her cheek, before hugging her tightly. She clung to him and he smoothed dow her hair, promising her it was all going to be alright.

" Let's go to work, eh? " he suggested when he let go of her, " we can ask the others if they've had the dream too and we can maybe get in touch with your dad? "

Lily hadn't even thought about her dad, and she nodded.

Her dad had been so adamant that he was going to protect her when they first learnt of the Master being Harold Saxon all that time ago, and he'd pleaded with the Master during their time on the Valiant to leave her alone. Then afterwards he'd felt so guilty that he hadn't been able to stop what had happened to his only child.

Dad would want to know about it, if he didn't already.

She slid off the kitchen counter, still looking kind of lost, and Jack took her hand as the three of them started towards the door.

The three of them walked down to Ianto's car. They left the SUV in their lock up near the hub and drove Ianto's car to work.

" Lily," Jack said as they walked, " don't you think ... don't you think that the Master _can't _be back because - "

" Because he'd dead, I know," she sighed, " but he could be capable of anything. And I know Dad burnt the body, but ... well, I don't know. I ... I don't know. "

" That's not what I was going to say," he told her, shaking his head, " I was going to say, surely if the Master _was _back you'd know. Don't time lords know when there are others? Isn't is a ... psychic thing? "

Her eyes widened as she looked at him, " Of course," she murmured, " why didn't I think of it? Of course. "

" Seriously? " Ianto asked curiously, " you can tell when there's others? "

Lily nodded, " I ... it's hard to explain, but I feel a presence in the back of my mind. And I know that Dad and I are the only ones. Before when he ... when _he _was around too, I could feel it. I knew there were three of us. But now ... yeah, there's just the two of us, but something's still not right, Jack. "

He nodded, " We'll figure it out. "

Lily was silent as they drove to the hub and she remained silent as they walked into the place. Gwen, Tosh and Owen were already there - Jack, Ianto and Lily had arrived later than usual.

Most of the building work had been completed so most of UNIT's men had returned to UNIT - sworn of course, to total secrecy about the hub to anyone except their highest UNIT superiors. There were only a few left, helping with the finishing touches.

Lily went into Jack's office when she got there without a word to any one else, while Ianto and jack stopped in the middle of the hub to talk to Tosh, Owen and Gwen.

None of them thought much of it, and inside the office, Lily shed her coat and hung it up on Jack's coat stand in the corner of the office.

She sighed and ran a hand through her hair, hoping everything was going to be alright and hoping there was some kind of chance that this was some kind of huge co-incidence.

Trying to make a smile cross her face, she went back into the hub, where the other five were gathered around Gwen's desk.

As the main area of the hub had been rebuilt, Lily's desk and work area was closest to Jack's office and the boardroom, Gwen's was over by the top of the medical bay, Ianto's was near the kitchen - a change from his old desk up at the tourist office, and Tosh's computers were nearest Lily's desk.

Of course if they raised their voices, it would be possible for them all to sit at their desks and have a conversation.

Gwen was sitting down at her desk, her hand resting on her bump, at 5 months pregnant and the others all stood up around it.

It seemed to fall strangely quiet when Lily reached them, and she looked at her husband suspiciously.

" What's going on? " she asked him.

He sighed heavily, " I was just told told them about the ... the dream that Ianto and I had. "

" Oh," Lily said, swallowing hard and trying to keep the smile on her face, " and was there any ... did you ... " she took a breath and continued, " did any of you have the ... the same ... "

She didn't need to finish - not with the stunned looks on their faces. They all looked completely shocked, and she knew from that, that it meant they'd had the same.

" I did," Owen said, the first one of the three to speak up, " I thought it was nothing. Odd thing to dream about, of course, but I didn't think anything of it. "

Tosh and Gwen were both nodding.

" How can this have happened? " Gwen asked, frowning, " how can we all have had the same dream? What's going on? "

" It's _him_," Lily said, " it's got to be. Jack, something horrible's going to happen, I know it. This is leading up to something big and I know it. "

" Baby, don't get ahead of yourself," Jack said, although he didn't look particularly calm either. The colour had completely drained from his skin, and he looked very tense.

" I'm telling you," she said, shaking her head, " I just know something terrible is going to happen, and my instincts aren't usually wrong. You _know _that. "

Jack sighed, " But he can't come back. He's dead. "

" I know that," she replied, " but there's no way you can all have had the same dream by chance. Someone or something is trying to get to everyone - trying to possess everyone, almost. And they're doing it for a reason. And for some reason I've been left out of it. "

" Maybe because you're not human," Owen pointed out, " whatever's going on, it might be specifically linked to the human race, so that would exclude you from these dreams. "

" Or maybe it's just related to Torchwood," Tosh suggested, " that is, after all, the one thing that links us all. "

" OK," Jack nodded, trying to take the situation in hand, " Lily, I think we should get hold of your dad. After everything that's happened me, you and him are the ones who the Master's return would affect. We need to tell him - maybe he knows something. " Looking at the others, he said, " and the rest of you, we need to find out if this is targeted at us, or at everyone, so we need to get in touch with some people not in Torchwood and ask them if they had the dream. "

" Yeah, because it's not going to be weird if we just start asking strangers in the street what they dreamt of," Owen said, pulling a face.

" We only need to ask a couple of people! " Jack protested his anger slowly growing, " but if you're not willing to find out what's going on, for the sake of your friend - " he added, pointing at Lily while his voice rose, " then - "

" Jack," Lily cut in, resting her hand on his arm.

At the sound of his wife's voice, Jack nodded, knowing he had no reason to take out his anger on Owen. He took a deep breath and bit his lip, not sure what the hell they were going to do next.

" I could ring Rhys," Gwen suggested, breaking the silence, " ask him? He probably wouldn't think of it as a strange question, given he knows all about Torchwood. "

" Thank you," Lily mumbled.

" And maybe one more, just for good measure? " Jack suggested.

" What about Cate? " Owen asked Ianto.

Cate was the girl from the pizza delivery place the team often ordered from, and Ianto and she had started casually dating little over a year ago, though Ianto had always been very private about it all, and they'd heard very little about her in the last few months come to think of it.

" Erm, I don't know about that," Ianto said, " we're going through a ... not so good patch. "

" You are? " Lily asked, " what's going on? "

Jack rolled his eyes, " Darling, this isn't the time for gossip, is it? "

" Oh," she mumbled, shaking her head.

" I'll ring Andy," Gwen said, " I know he doesn't know all about Torchwood, but he's an old friend, he'll trust me if I just ring him up and ask him, I should think. He'll just answer without any questions. "

" That's great Gwen, thank you," Jack said, " I'll be in the office. "

He left them, and Lily immediately followed him.

When she walked into the office, she closed the door behind them and turned to face him. He was looking all worried now they were alone, and she knew he was trying to put on the kind of brave face that she too was trying to put on.

Neither of them wanted to admit it, but Lily knew they were both very worried that the Master was going to come back and try to ruin their lives.

" We'll work through it," Jack told her, "it's going to be - "

" _Don't _tell me it's going to be alright when you don't know," Lily sighed, crossing the room and coming to sit on his desk.

Jack nodded and sat down in his desk chair, facing her.

" I ... can I ... " Liy sighed and broke off, " Jack, if the ... if someone or something is going to try and get at people by their dreams or whatever this is, I want you to be protected. "

" I'm sure I can take care of myself," he told her with a slight smile.

" Please," she said, " let me do something to protect you. Maybe I can give you some kind of defences, so no-one would be able to get to you in dreams. Let me ... I don't know ... let me give you some kind of barriers. "

" Baby, don't worry about me," he said, just wanting to look after her.

" But I do," she sighed, " you're my husband, and I want to know you're going to be safe, every bit as much as you want to know I am. I should have done it a long time ago - just let me try and instill some kind of protection on you. "

" Do you think you could do that? " Jack asked.

" Don't you trust me? " Lily returned, her lips twitching into a smile.

Lily had improved her psychic skills a lot since coming to Cardiff, since Jack had regularly let her practise seeing into his mind. She'd used those skills on a few occasions to help cases and was sure she would be able to help Jack.

" Of course I do," he said without hesitation, " and if it will ease your mind, then feel free to do whatever you want with me. "

" You don't need to say it like that," she scoffed, " I'm hardly going to do you any damage. "

" I know," he said, with a smile.

He stood up form his chair and came to sit on the desk beside her, turning sideways a little to look at her. She turned too, to face him and reached out with her hands.

She rested her fingertips lightly against her husband's temples, closing her eyes. He closed his eyes too, and rested his forehead against hers. She felt so comfortable with him, and took a few breaths to prepare herself.

" I've just got a few barriers in mind," Lily told him, " so no-one will be able to penetrate your mind easily. No-one who's unwanted, at least. Bit of protection, you see. "

Jack was happy enough to go along with it - clearly the idea of him being immune to whatever was going on, was a comfort to Lily, and it he could provide any kind of comfort to her, then he would. And it would of course be a good thing to have some kind of mental barriers.

" Ok," Lily muttered, before concentrating very hard.

She found herself getting lost in Jack's mind. Jack had allowed her to practise her psychic skills on his mind enough times to know he should keep his mind clear to make it easier for her to focus on what she was looking for. Usually when she'd practised, she'd decided to look for a certain memory or story, but this was different.

She was lost in his mind and she could hear his voice, even though she knew he wasn't speaking.

She got right to the centre of his mind, and once she got there, she concentrated even harder and started to build up the mental barriers. She'd seen Dad do it before and he'd once explained it to her, and she could almost see the brick wall building up as she worked.

A few minutes later, she slowly and silently removed her fingertips from his temples and moved her head back slightly, opening her eyes. Jack opened his eyes too - when she linked to his mind it was always a surreal experience and he always felt so close to her, and could feel the love that radiated off her.

" Just a little something to give you some mental defences," she said.

" Thank you," Jack said.

They were so close together, and Lily felt so much better for having been able to give him some kind of defences - at least no-one would be able to get to him in a dream. No-one would be able to manipulate him.

Jack reached out and cupped her cheek softly, and she looked into his eyes.

" Whatever this is," Jack told her quietly, " I know we can - "

He broke off when she suddenly jumped backwards, startled, and almost jumped off the end of the desk. She hissed in pain and brought her hand to her forehead as she closed her eyes tightly.

" Lily? " Jack asked, watching is concern and confusion as she gripped the edge of the desk and took a deep breath.

Lily felt like something was taking over her and she felt completely overwhelmed.

" Lily? Is it the mind thing - was it too taxing for you? What can I get for you? Let me do something! "

" Jack," she said through gritted teeth, feeling like she was being taken over and unsure as to what on earth was going on. She took a deep breath and held up her hand to silence him.

" Lily," he said frantically, " Lily, what's going on? "

" I don't know," she said, shaking her head and trying to block his voice out so she could concentrate on her head. She frowned and suddenly, she could see things that weren't in front of her - flashing before her eyes, were images she'd never seen before, and she couldn't imagine what was going on.

Everything flashed white, and then her head throbbed, as she saw her dad sitting in a circle with several Ood, all of them with their hands joined. There was another flash, and she took a deep breath as she suddenly saw the Master's face. He was laughing, cackling, and she supposed it was what the others had seen in their dream.

She let out a little whimper at the sight of him, and was unaware of everything going on around her. Jack wasn't even sure if she knew he was still there.

She groaned and his face disappeared, to be replaced by Wilfred Mott's, looking very worried. She was immediately confused - Donna Noble's grandfather - but why? They couldn't see Donna anymore without her head imploding. Was she ok?

She was very confused as she felt her mind spinning again, and she didn't have a clue what was going on. The next image was a dark skinned man and young woman - she thought she recognised the man from somewhere - he'd had a book out last year.

Some kind of billionaire, involved in some kind of technology - what did he have to do with anything?

The next was very suprising, and she felt a twinge of pain somewhere in her stomach at seeing someone who'd witnessed her torture at the hands of the Master - Lucy Saxon, his wife, was sitting in a prison cell.

Lily shook her head, trying to get rid of all these images and then she gasped and let out a whimper as the next image came.

It was a place she recognised - the funeral pyre her dad had burnt the Master on. This was getting too much - something was happening to her and she didn't know what.

The last thing she ever wanted to see again was the Master, but it was becoming increasingly likely that somehow, he was back

The new image was her dad walking away from the fire and back into the TARDIS. After that, a hand reached down and picked up a ring that the Master had worn, from the ashes of the funeral pyre.

Lily gasped loudly and she could hear Jack's name distantly, but she couldn't make out any words - all she could focus on was what was right in her mind now.

Part of him had survived.

Somehow, he was coming back.

She was going to have to face him again.

The last thing she saw was her dad's terrified face as he saw in the middle of the circle of Ood, and then she realised what was going on.

Jack meanwhile, had assumed she was in some kind of trance - she didn't appear able to hear him, and she'd gone deathly pale as she gripped the edge of the desk and breathed heavily. He was terrified about what was happening to her as she let out little whimpers of pain, and tears fell down her cheeks.

Lily's eyes flew open and she found herself looking into Jack's worried and concerned face.

Her hearts were racing ten times faster than usual and she was struggling to get her breathing down. She realised she was so terrified at the thought of the Master being back, that a few tears had streamed down her cheeks without her knowing.

" Lily! " Jack said quickly, reaching out to her and laying his hands on her shoulders firmly, " what's going on? "

Lily suddenly realised how she'd been able to see those images - her dad and the Ood had sealed if for her, ad she was quick enough to piece it together.

Her Dad had been called by the Ood or run into the Ood and they'd shown him these images - so through her partially psychic time lord bond to her father, she'd been shown all the images too.

" Dad," she breathed, her breath coming out in short pants and her eyes looking wide and terrified, " Ood ... Dad's with the Ood ... they showed him stuff, showed me ... I ... I ... oh God Jack ... I ... "

She was breathing quickly and Jack shook her shoulders a little, worried that she was going to have a panic attack and knowing it had to be something very serious to get her this worked up, " Lily! Look at me baby, it's ok, look at me. "

She took a deep breath and desperately tried to keep herself calmed down. For a few moments she tried to compose herself and then finally she managed to meet his eyes and hold them.

He was waiting for her to say something, and the words fell from her lips, almost a whisper.

" Part of the Master survived. He's coming back. "


	22. End of Time

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

Chapter Twenty-Two

" _What? "_

Lily bit her lip as she looked at her husband, and her heart raced faster as she struggled to think straight.

" The ... The Master is coming back," she whispered, meeting his eyes.

Jack was about to respond, when she turned away from him, closing her eyes tightly and inhaling sharply. Lily held her breath as she felt something else inside her mind - she didn't know how to explain it, but she felt something pushing inside her mind.

She groaned as she felt something against her mind, and she quite quickly realised with horror what it was - suddenly she just knew.

It was instinct, but she knew it was right - in the way that she'd always known of her dad's presence, she suddenly knew there was one more. They weren't alone - he was back.

The thought of him being was truly terrifying and she didn't have a clue how she was going to deal with it. Suddenly, all she could see was his face, and she could hear his voice.

She couldn't imagine how she was going to cope if she saw him again - he'd put her through the most amount of torture she could ever imagine and she made her feel the lowest she'd ever feel.

She could picture his face in front of her, his cruel words in her ear, and when she suddenly felt a hand on her arm, she jumped, startled, and pushed the hand off in a panic.

Jack meanwhile was unsure as to what he should do, but all he knew was that he had to help her - he had to do something.

Something seemed to be taking over her, and he reached out to touch her arm softly, hoping to jerk her out of whatever she was in, hoping to get her to talk to him.

When he touched her arm, however, he didn't get the kind of response he'd imagined.

Lily's eyes flew open when she realised that the hand on her arm had been real, and she pushed it away, eyes wide.

When she opened her eyes, she was looking into Jack's and she realised that he looked hurt - he seemed to be trying to hide it, but she could read the emotion in his eyes.

She looked down and shook her head in horror when she realised his hand was hovering in midair - he'd clearly tried to reach out and touch her arm, trying to help her, and she'd pushed him off.

" Oh God Jack," she said, shaking her head as her eyes filled with tears, " Jack, I'm sorry. "

" No! " he said quickly, " don't apologise. You don't have to apologise. "

" I do," she said, shaking her head still, " I ... I just ... I could feel him - like I can feel my dad. I know he's alive. He's ... he's out there somewhere. And then I saw his face, and I could imagie it all happening right now and I ... and I panicked ... and ... and I just, just for a minute, I felt like it was him. "

Jack didn't know how to respond, and he nodded, " It's alright, baby. I'm me, yeah? He can't get to you here. "

" I know," she said, feeling guilty that she'd pushed away Jack when he was so warm and loving and caring. She slowly reached out and took hold of his hand, enclosing it in both of hers, " I know that you're never going to hurt me - I know that you're here for me, and I know that you love me to pieces. "

" Good," he said firmly, " because whatever we're going to have to face, we can do it. Together. "

" You're the best, Jack," she said, meeting his eyes again.

He smiled, " I made you a promise once - for better or for worse, right? So this is the worse - we can do it. "

She nodded, and he squeezed her hand lightly, " So, what's going on? " he asked her.

Lily told him everything that had happened - what she'd seen, and how she'd seen it through her link to her dad. She told him she was sure the Master was coming back.

Her skin was icy cold and drained of all colour as she spoke, and her voice sounded almost robotic - Jack hated to see her like this, but he didn't know what to do.

" Ok," he said, standing up and taking charge, " you have to ring your dad, don't you? I'll go tell the others what's going on - they need to know too. "

Lily nodded and when she was left alone in the office, she took a deep breath and reached for her phone.

She dialled her dad's number, and waited with bated breath for him to answer. It was all becoming so real she she didn't have a clue what to do about it all, but she knew she had to trust Jack.

" Hello? " he finally answered, sounding frantic, as if he was in the middle of something - which he was, of course.

" Dad, it's me," she said quickly.

" Oh," he sounded immensely relieved but he still sounded very tense, " that's funny - well, not funny, but coincidental I suppose - because I was about to ring you. Are you alright, is everything ok? "

" Well, not really," she said, " that's why I'm ringing you. Dad, I _know. "_

" You know? " he repeated, sounding shocked, " about ... about - "

" I know," she repeated, " about _him. _I know you were with the Ood, and they showed you - I saw it too. It must be something to do with the connection, but I saw it. And I can ... Daddy, I can feel him in my mind. "

" Darling, I promise I won't let him hurt you," the Doctor said, " it won't be like last time. I'm going to come and get you, so I know you're ok, and we're going to solve this. We'll find him, and we'll put a stop to whatever he's doing. "

" We ... you're coming to get me? " she checked.

" I'm setting the controls right now, darling," he promised, " I'm coming to get you, don't you worry. "

" Dad, are you trying to convince me, or yourself? " she tested.

" Don't," he said, " don't think like that - we're going to get rid of him. We've done it before and we'll do it again," he reminded her.

Lily resisted the urge to point out that Lucy Saxon had been the one to get rid of him in the end and nodded.

" Lily? "

" Sorry, sorry, I'm nodding," she said, " we'll see you soon? "

" Very soon," he promised, " and I'd imagine Jack will be keeping a very close eye on you in the meantime? "

" You know Jack," Lily said with a slight smile, " he's very protective, and in circumstances like this, I certainly don't mind. "

" He's a good man," the Doctor said.

" What will you do with Rose? " Lily asked him quietly, " are you going to take her with us to the Master? "

" I highly doubt she'll let me leave her behind," the Doctor said, sounding amused, " although of course I'd much rather she didn't come. Much rather you didn't come too. "

" What? "

" Look, I'm on my way. What's your date? "

When the phone call was over, Lily went out into the hub, and she found the others all looking at her with shock written across their faces, mixed with fear - they didn't know about the Master. They'd heard about what he'd done, but they didn't know what it was really like to be under his wrath.

" Dad's on his way," Lily said, wrapping her arm around Jack's waist as she came to stand next to him, and resting her head against his shoulder.

Jack nodded and planted a kiss in her hair, " I'll go up and meet them. "

She sighed but didn't move, and neither did he. He sighed too and just held her to him, not wanting to let go of her. She closed her eyes, and a few moments later, she felt Jack's warm hands leaving her.

" I'd better go meet them," he said.

Lily nodded and watched as Jack left the hub. She sighed and sat down on the edge of Gwen's desk. She was aware of her friends around her, and she could hear the news playing in the background on one of the computers - probably put on by Ianto - though she was paying little attention to it.

" You know Jack won't let him hurt you, don't you? " Owen said.

She nodded, " Of course I do. But you lot don't know what the Master's live. He's pure evil. The things he did ... "

" You don't have to explain," Owen told her, " we have an idea - you don't have to give us the details. But ... Jack won't let him hurt you. And we're all here for you too. "

" Thank you," she mumbled, " but you lot should stay out of the way," she added sharply, looking around at them all, " he's bad news, and if you stay out of it, you won't get hurt. "

None of them had ever seen the fear in her eyes and heard the tone of voice she held now - she was clearly terrified - even more so than when she'd lost her baby, and when she'd fallen out with Jack.

It was unnerving to see her so scared, but they didn't know how to help.

" No-one's going to get hurt," Owen said, as the others watched - somehow Owen seemed to have taken on the role of a brother figure and it was suprising how they got on. Owen was caring and helpful when she needed him, and they shared a teasing relationship too.

" You don't know that," Lily said, finally looking up and meeting his eyes.

" And you don't know that anyone _will," _he countered, " best thing you can do is keep calm and try not to think about everything that happened before. "

She nodded, though she didn't look convinced.

Owen shook his head and came to sit on the desk beside her. He sat on the edge of her desk, beside her, and reached out to drape his arm over her shoulders.

She sighed and rested her head against his shoulder, and he justsat there and let her.

They all sat in silence for a few moments, and Lily felt a million different things spinning around her mind, trying not to think about any of them.

After a few minutes, the door opened, and Jack came striding back across the hub, with the Doctor and Rose following along after them. The Doctor looked so worried, and Rose's face held a mixture of confusion and worry.

" Lily," the Doctor breathed, " darling, you're alright. "

She nodded stiffly and he sighed and held open his arms. She slid off the desk and into his arms and he enveloped her into a brief hug, kissing before saying hello to everyone else.

Lily smiled when she saw Rose and Rose offered her a warm smile in return. The two women embraced and Lily felt some kind of relief in having one more of her friends around her.

" So," Jack said, " what do we do? "

" We find him," the Doctor said firmly, " the link in my mind that all time lords have to one another - I've got an idea of where to start. He was resurrected at Broadfell Prison, in front of Lucy Saxon. We have to get there. "

" Why have they resurrected him? " Lily asked, " and what's his plans now he's back? What's he going to do? "

" We'll find out," the Doctor said, " Jack, I'm sorry, but we're going to have to get straight onto this - can you leave your team behind while we sort this? "

" Go," Owen said instantly, " we'll be fine. "

Jack looked around at them all, and saw that all four were nodding.

" Go," Gwen reiterated, while Ianto and Tosh both nodded, " go and fix this, we'll be fine. "

The Doctor nodded swiftly, " So, we need to get moving. We don't know anything about what's going on, but we've got to go with it. We'll go to Broadfell, and from there we should be able to figure out our next step. "

" Let's go," Jack said instantly, fastening his coat around him.

" Hold on," the Doctor said, holding up his hands to stop Jack from charging straight out of the door, " what about the girls? "

" What _about _us? " Rose asked suspiciously, exchanging a glance with Lily, before looking back at her boyfriend - even if the Doctor always told her "boyfriend" sounded so juvenile.

" Well," the Doctor said, feeling like his suggestion should be met by instant rejection from the pair, and looking at Jack for support, " I don't know how happy I am taking the pair of you to the Master, when I know he's dangerous. "

" I'm not staying behind," Rose protested, " haven't we been through enough dangerous situations for you to _know _that I know how to handle myself? "

" But this is different," the Doctor said, changing tack, " Lily, I really don't know if I should be taking you straight over to the Master. I don't want you to be faced with the same kind of suffering you were before. Darling, I know everything you went through - I don't want it to happen again. I want you to be safe. "

She nodded, " I know, Dad, but I ... I've got to come. "

" It's dangerous," he told her, " I'm just trying to protect you. "

" I know," she sighed, " and I'm terrified, but ... if I don't come with you and face it, I'll be terrified of him forever. I think I've got to face this. And if I don't come with you annd you get rid of him, I'll never feel like you really did, unless I was there to see it. "

The Doctor sighed and turned to Jack.

Jack understood where the Doctor was coming from, and he wanted to protect Lily every bit as much as the Doctor did. " Doctor I ... I ... I don't know. "

" Jack, it's - " the Doctor started.

Jack interrupted, " Doctor, I understand where you're coming from, and I'm inclined to lock my wife up in a very very secure room so nothing can hurt her - "

Owen tried not to laugh at the thought of Lily allowing _anyone _to do something she didn't want them to, especially Jack, who she had wrapped around her finger.

Jack continued, " But she's a grown woman, and I'm not going to make her decisions for her. "

Lily smiled a little, " Thank you," she mumbled.

The Doctor groaned, obviously torn between keeping his daughter safe, and letting her have what she wanted. " I'm just trying to keep you safe," the Doctor told her.

" I know," she said, " but I'll be safe if I'm with you. And with Jack. "

The Doctor sighed, " But I failed you last time," he argued, clearly very annoyed with himself, " last time ... I couldnt protect you, and you got hurt. I won't let it happen again. And you recovered so well - you've been so strong since and you're back to how you always were and I don't want you to feel like you did back then. "

" Dad," she said, " I know. But none of it was your fault. None of it. I know what we're up against, and I know that I need to face this. I need answers, and I'm coming with you. "

The expression on her dad's face told her he knew he was losing, and he started to consider that if she was with him, he'd at least know where she was. He looked at Jack in some kind of last ditch attempt and Jack shook his head.

" What kind of man would I be if I forced her into doing something she didn't want to do? " he asked the Doctor.

Lily cut aross them all, " I'm coming. I need to come. "

" Fine," the Doctor said, " but I just - "

" I know what I'm getting into," she said firmly, " but I've got to do it. "

The Doctor nodded in acceptance and Jack took hold of her hand, proud of her for being brave and wanting to face up to this. He held her hand firmly and looked around at the rest of the team.

" You lot look after yourselves," he said, " don't want any of you getting into any danger. We've got enough to worry about. " His eyes settled on Gwen, " You in particular, be careful. "

She rolled her eyes, " I'll be fine. I'm just sitting here. "

Lily smiled at little at Gwen's clear annoyance over Jack's overprotective nature, and Jack then turned to Owen, " You're in charge," he said, " not that I imagine there'll be much that needs doing. "

The team all assured Jack and Lily that they were going to be fine, so they didn't really have anything to do, and the Doctor then looked at his daughter, son-in-law and girlfriend.

" Everyone ready? " he asked.

" We'd better get going," Jack said.

The four of them hurried off to the TARDIS, the Doctor striding on ahead of everyone else with his long legs and frantic nature. Rose was rushing to keep up with him, and Jack was also striding, forcing Lily to keep up with him as he held onto her hand.

Once inside the TARDIS, the Doctor worked away frantically at the controls, and Lily bit down on her lip as she watched him, trying to stop herself from panicking.

She was determined to meet the Master with a calm in head, and she wanted to prove that she wasn't the same person she had been before - he couldn't intimidate her like before. She was strong - she was 2nd in command of an alien fighting agency, she had her own life.

She had to prove that she wasn't going to let him push her around.

But the thought of seeing him made her terrified.

When the TARDIS landed, the Doctor barrelled out of the door. He ran outside and the others followed him. Lily was the first to follow, and she stared when she saw the sight in front of her - Broadfell Prison had been burnt to the ground.

She looked around but inside her head, she knew that the Master wasn't here.

" What's happened here? " she mumbled.

" We were too late," the Doctor replied.

" And he was definitley resurrected here? " asked Rose, carefully.

" Yes," the Doctor said, " I saw it. With the Ood. Someone took a ring of the Master's that didn't get burnt, and he was ressurected here, with Lucy Saxon forced to watch. Then clearly either the place got burnt down in the process, or he destroyed it. We've got to get moving. He's ... you can't just _resurrect _someone - he's got to be unhinged. Or more unhinged than he already was, that is. Let's go. "

He was going back into the TARDIS before anyone could say anything else, and the others followed him.

" Doctor, how do we know where to find him now? " Rose asked, frowning.

The Doctor frowned, " The mind connection. I just need to think. "

He frowned at rubbed at his temples, and he looked at Lily, " Any instincts? " he asked her.

She frowned, trying to concentrate, " I can feel ... something. But not ... not like you can, I don't think. It's ... I can almost smell him, Dad. But I don't know where he is. "

The Doctor nodded, " It's ok, I think I've got an idea of where we might find him. I can ... well, it's hard to explain, but it's like something's leading me to him. "

Lily nodded and the Doctor suddenly stared at her.

" I've got it wrong," he said, heading back for the door, " he's around here somewhere. He's out there somewhere. I can ... that's why you can smell him. He's close. "

" Oh," she said in a small voice, " what happens next? "

" We'll get out there," the Doctor said calmly, meeting her eyes, " and we'll find him, see what kind of state he's in. Find out what's going on. "

Lily nodded and Jack took hold of her hand as they stepped out of the TARDIS. He closed his fingers around her hand and tightened his grip as they started walking.

They walked slowly, and the Doctor looked this way and that, sniffing. Lily had to admit that as she followed him, she could feel the smell growing stronger. They were definitley on the right path.

She took a deep breath and tightened her grip on Jack's hand and he rubbed his thumb across the back of it, with a little nod, without looking at her.

They were on wasteland, and Lily could feel a sense of apprehension coming over her. Jack was well aware of the dangers and he was completely tense as he waited for something to happen. Even Rose, who hadn't met the Master, was worried and apprehensive. She could sense the fear coming off the other three, and knew the Master had to be something very bad indeed if the Doctor, Lily, and Jack were all scared about something. And the Doctor had told her enough stories about the Master for her to know he was bad news.

As they stood on top of a cliff, they heard a loud banging.

It was four loud clangs - metal hitting something.

Lily suddenly had a very had feeling - this had to be him. But what had that woman said - the woman on the bus, when Lily had gone off with her Dad.

He will knock four times - could this be signalling the Doctor's death? Or at least, his regeneration - which was a death of sorts. She didn't want him to go through that - not when he didn't have many regenerations left.

Trying to focus on the matter at hand, the metal continued to bang away.

The Doctor suddenly turned in the direction of the sound and started to run. Lily was loath to run towards the Master but there seemed to be little choice. It seemed like they were always running into danger.

And they really all ought to stick together now. Safety in numbers, after all, she thought.

They ran along the wasteland, Lily's hearts pounding faster than she could ever imagine, and she ran straight into the back of her dad as he suddenly stoppped.

She yelped in suprise, and he turned around to face her, glanced her over to check she was alright, and wrapped his arm around her as he turned back to face the other side.

Lily looked around and saw as she looked up, a high hill of gravel. And right on the top, wa sa familiar figure. He was wearing dark coloured jogging bottoms, a dark hoodie, but her attention was drawn to his face.

Even from this distance she could tell he was grinning manically, and she saw that even though his hair had been bleached blonde, he still had the same terrifying look about him.

She took an almost involuntary little step backwards and let out a little whimper.

Jack snatched hold of her hand immediately, and the Master let out an animalistic roar which made her jump in suprise, able to picture herself back where she had been before. Going through it all again.

The Master suddenly disappeared and he turned and ran. The Doctor didn't hesitate to run after him as fast as he could, and the others followed. Lily could feel herself growing more and more terrified, but she tried to think straight and ensure she kept calm. Even if it made her terrified, she was determined to prove that she could face him.

They all kept running, and the Master seemed to be slowly after a while. He stopped and turned slowly to face them, and as the other four stopped and looked at him, he looked at them.

The Master was, by now, on top of a pile of metal beams, while the others stood on the ground below.

" Ah, you've all come back to see me! " the Master cackled, throwing his arms out.

Lily stared in horror as his whole body flickered into a skeleton and back again. She'd never seem anything like it and she took a deep breath to keep herself calm. Beside her, she could see Rose staring in horror too.

" Please, let me help! " the Doctor yelled at him.

Lily would never stop being amazed at the amount of compassion he had for others. Even a man like this, his enemy. Yet because he was a time lord, the Doctor couldn't leave him. Couldn't let him die if he could help it.

The Master let out a laugh and he looked down at them all, " Ah, Doctor - should have known you were coming, of course. " He laughed again, always sounding so unhinged, " and you've brought me a girl - two. _New _ones. Where's your precious daughter? "

Lily opened her mouth to protest, as did the others, but the Master ran off.

The Doctor groaned and started around a large pile of rusty irons, so the others followed. They hadn't gotten very far when they saw someone very familiar.

" Doctor! " Wilfred Mott cried.

Lily stared in suprise at Donna Noble's grandfather.

" Wilfred! " the Doctor exclaimed, " what're you doing here? "

Behind him was a group of several elderly people, and they were all staring at the Doctor and his companions, while the Doctor and his companions looked at the others in confusion.

" Is this him? " one man asked, " did we do it? "

The Doctor was looking around frantically, as were the others, keeping an eye out for the Master although they had no idea where he had gone. The Master had gone.

One of the women with Wilfred nodded, " Tall and thin. Long brown coat. You never said he'd have friends with him. " The elderly woman eyed Jack, " this one's _very _handsome. "

" Why thank you," Jack with his most charming smile, making Lily elbow him to make him be quiet, although her lips were twitching into a smile,

" The Silver Cloak," said Wilfred, nodding around at all of his friends, " it worked! 'Cos I phoned Nettie, who phoned June. And her sister lives opposite Broadfell, and saw the police box. And her neighbour saw you heading East and - "

The Doctor stared in disbelief, " Have you told them who I am? "

" No, I just said you were a Doctor," Wilfed said with a nod, " and might I say sir, it's an honour to see you again. "

The Doctor nodded, and Wilfred look at them curiously, " you never said who your friends are? "

" Oh," the Doctor said, trying to recall if Jack or Lily had ever met Wilfred and coming to the conclusion that Lily had, but in her preious regeneration. He was still busy to see the master but had lost all trace of him. he desperately wanted to get away and gesutred quickly to those around him.

" This is Rose," he said, " this is my sister Lily," he said, only just remembering not to raise suspicions by claiming she was his daughter when they looked a similar age, " and my brother in law, Jack. "

Wilfred looked suspicious - the Doctor wondered if he'd ever said he didn't have a sister - but he knew Wilfred wouldn't question it.

" Well, you never said he was a looker," said the woman who'd also said Jack was good looking, " he's gorgeous. " She pulled out a camera and handed it a tall thin man, " take of picture of us. And get the other one in too. "

The Doctor looked taken aback and a little bit frightened and Lily couldn't help but be amused byu the look on his face. Jack, meanwhile, was looking in his element - it always suited him if someone liked him.

" I'm Minnie the Menance," the woman said with a smile, forcing her way inbetween Jack and the Doctor and wrapping her arms around both of them, turning to face the camera.

The Doctor was glaring at Wilfred, while Jack was grinning.

" Leave him alone! " Wilfred insisted, while both Rose and Lily were trying too hard not to laugh at the look on his face to do anything about it.

" Give us a smile," said Minnie.

Both smiled as the picture was taken, and when it had been taken, the Doctor looked around, " I'm kind of really busy," he said.

" But we need you," Wilfred said, " that's why I organised this - to look for you. "

The Doctor groaned, " I've got stuff on! "

After a short argument, the Doctor agreed to come with Wilfred for a chat - he supposed a quick chat wouldn't be too detrimental to their search for the Master, especially as Wilfred seemed to need something.

Reluctantly, knowing he wasn't going to get away from these people, he turned to the others.

" Well," he said, resting his hand in the middle of Lily's back as he stood next to her, " we'd better go with them. " Lowering his voice, he mumbled, " I'm sure we'll be able to get away soon. "

He kept one arm around Lily and caught hold of Rose's hand in his free hand as they walked towards the bus in which Wilfred and his friends had come in.

" Who is this guy, anyway? " whispered Rose to Lily as they got onto the minibus.

" Donna's grandfather," whispered Lily in return, sitting down in the first available seat she saw. Rose sat down beside her, and Jack, who was next to get on the bus, pouted.

" And who am I supposed to sit with? " he asked.

Lily shrugged, " You can bond with your father-in-law," she said, nodding at her dad, who had followed him onto the bus, " Rose and I want to have a girly gossip. "

Rose nodded solemnly.

Jack considered it and then nodded, " I suppose sitting next to the Doctor is hardly a punishment. He _is _a very good looking man. "

" Jack! " Lily said, shaking her head and wincing at the thought of it.

He shrugged and sat down behind her, and the Doctor sat beside him.

They hadn't been driving for very long, before they started dropping people off, and they finally stopped outside a cafe. " Maybe we could have a chat," Wilfred suggested, nodding at the cafe.

The Doctor groaned - he was busy, but he knew Wilfred must have something important to say, and supposed it could be matched to what was going on with them.

Wilfred went up and bought them all a coffee and he sat down opposite the Doctor. Rose sat beside him, and Jack sat on one other side of the square table, Lily directly opposite him.

Lily didn't have a clue what was going on and she just wished this whole thing had never happened.

Wilfred looked directly at the Doctor, looking worried, and the Doctor was both wary and anxious - a feeling the others were all sharing, since no-one knew what they were doing and how to handle it.

" I ... I keep seeing things," Wilfred said, " Doctor at night, this face. "

The Doctor sighed and shook his head, " Who are you? "

" I'm Wilfred Mott," he said, confused.

The Doctor shook his head, " No. No, people have waited hundred of years for me - " he glanced at Jack, who nodded seriously, before continuing, " and you manage it in a couple of hours. "

" Just lucky I suppose," shrugged Wilfred.

The Doctor frowned, " No, see we keep on meeting. Like something's connecting us. "

" What's so special about me? " Wilfred asked, while Lily, Rose and Jack watched in silence.

" Exactly," mumbled the Doctor.

There followed a long silence while everyone tried to figure out what was going on and what they could do next. Lily fixed her eyes on her dad and watched him - he was staring out of the window and he seemed to be tearing up. She frowned at the tears in his eyes.

" I'm going to die," he said.

" Dad! " Lily hissed.

Wilfred looked from Lily to the Doctor inconfusion at her use of "Dad" but said nothing, instead, he shook his head at the Doctor, " Well, so am I, one day. "

" I was told," the Doctor sighed, swallowing hard, " There was a prophecy ... he will knock four times. "

" Dad, you can't die," Lily said, her own eyes filling up with tears as she looked at him. Rose was looking at him too, and she reached out and covered his hand with her own, " you're not going to die. "

" Darling, obviously you don't want me to die," he said, " but it's coming. You're going to have to face that possibility. "

" No," she said firmly, shaking her head.

Wilfred frowned, " I thought you could ... thought your kind could change, like your whole body? "

The Doctor shrugged, " We can, but I can still die. If I'm killed very quickly - shot to the head or something, I won't have time to regenerate. " He leaned forward seriously, " and even then, even if I change, it feels like dying. Everything I am dies, and some new man comes sauntering along. And I'm gone. "

" No," Lily whispered, " it's not like that. "

She didn't want him to change - she loved her dad as he was, and she thought his current regeneration was her favourite. Well, along with the previous one. The thought of him being new was terrifying and she didn't want to let this one go - and she hated to see him so sad.

" It's just like dying," he said

She'd never seen him this upset about regenerating, and she supposed it might be to do with the fact that he'd been through so many - he only had a few left, if their thinking 13 was right. He needed to start being more careful, she thought. If he was more careful, one regeneration might be able to last hundreds of years.

" It's not," she said softly, " Dad, you've got me and Rose. And you've got Jack. You've got family, Dad, and we'll always be here. "

The Doctor sighed, not sure if he could explain it to her, and he nodded, knowing she was only trying to help. He looked instead at Wilf, who was staring out of the window.

" What? " he asked, seeing the look on Wilf's face.

When he got no answer, he looked out of the window, as did all the others. Lily's eyes widened when she saw Donna walking across the street. Donna - Donna had been so lovely, Lily thought. She had really liked Donna and wished she could have had a different fate. Still, at least she was alive now, and she was safe.

" I had to," Wilfred said, shaking his head, " I had to bring you to her - can't you do anything for her? Can't you make her better? "

It was gut wrenching to see Donna and to think of all the times she'd met her before and she'd been so happy and so alive. And how she couldn't remember any of the adventures she'd had.

She looked back at her dad to see he was close to tears, and she knew he felt that what had happened to Donna was all his fault. Rose looked upset too - Rose,after all, had been through the same kind of thing as Donna had. Except that her bad wolf energy had merged to mean she could stay as a half human half time lord.

" Stop it," the Doctor told Wilfred.

" But you're so clever," Wilfred said, " can't you bring her memory back? Just go to her now! Run across the street and say hello! "

The Doctor shook his head and replied fiercely, " If she remembers me, she will burn and die. "

Wilfred sighed, seeming to know that it was a lost cause, but just wanting some kind of help.

They all watched Donna out of the window and Lily thought about how bittersweet the whole thing was. They were watching when a young man crossed the road and approached her, and Wilfred smile.

" That's Shaun. Shaun Temple," he added, " they're engaged. Getting married this summer. "

" Another wedding," the Doctor said, while Lily absent mindedly touched her own wedding ring.

" Is she happy? " the Doctor asked with concern ater a long pause, " is he nice? "

" She's happy enough," said Wilfred, " he's sweet enough, bit of a dreamer. Mind you, he's on minimum wage and she'd earning tuppence, so all they can afford is a tiny flat. And sometimes I can see this look on her face, like she's so sad and she can't remember why. "

" She's got him," the Doctor pointed out.

" She's making do," Wilfred corrected.

The Doctor groaned, rubbing his hands across his face ad looking close to breaking down. Lily hated to see her dad like this, and she desperately wanted to help - when he was the less strong one, she didn't know how to deal with it.

He looked close to breaking down.

" Dad," she said softly, " Dad, don't. "

He shook his head and from the way he was wiping his hands across his face, she wondered if he was crying. Maybe crying about the fact he'd been unable to save Donna, or about the fact that he was going to die, or the fact that they had to face the Master and he was scared about who might be the next to get hurt.

Rose reached out to rested her hand on his sholder softly.

" Lily," Jack said, standing up and looking at her, " come on, why don't we go phone the team? See how they're getting on? "

Lily didn't really want to, but she was clever enough to know that Jack wanted to get her out of there. Jack knew that the Doctor wouldn't want his daughter to see him so upset, and he knew it couldn't do Lily much good, and had decided that taking her out of the situation to allow the Doctor some time and room to cool off, was the best thing.

They went outside the cafe - Donna and her fiance had already gone, so there was no danger of her recognising them and it being a problem - and Jack turned to Lily.

" How're you feeling, baby? "

" I'm not ill," she said firmly, " I just want to find the Master, find out what kind of trouble he's going to cause now he's back, and stop him. "

" I know," he nodded, " me too. "

" Thought we were going to ring home? " she tested.

Jack shrugged, " That was ... sort of an excuse to leave the cafe, but I suppose we could if you want to? "

They put in a brief phonecall to find out that everything was alright, they hadn't been gone long, and there were no problems. Once Jack ended the call, he slipped his phone back into his pocket and looked at Lily.

" I'm so worried about him," Lily said, turning to face him, " it's this prophecy thing - he will knock four times. Something is coming back. All of it. And he doesn't think "something coming back" means the Master. I'm worried. "

" Listen," Jack said, " he's strong, isn't he? You both are. He'll put everything he's got into this. It's going to be ok. Don't worry, baby. "

Lily nodded and a few moments later, the cafe door opened and the Doctor was striding out of the door, looking all strong and confident, like he'd never had a moment of weakness in there.

He was all ready to tackle it head on and he looked at Jack and Lily, " Right," he said, " are we ready for this? "

" Let's go," nodded Jack.

" I think we should go back to the land around Broadfell," the Doctor said as they started to stride down the streets, " well, obviously, because the TARDIS is there, but we should go back anyway - he's burning up his life force with the whole skeleton thing - he's gone wrong, and he won't have gone far. But this thing's bigger than him - something's happening and he's just a small part of it. It's why we need to get him, figure out what's going on. I know we don't like him but ... well, does it make sense? "

Rose frowned, " I just don't get what you think is happening, Doctor. What's coming? What's going to happen? "

" Wish I knew," he replied, " but it's instinct. I know something big's going to happen and this Master isn't where it ends. "

They walked briskly, and as they did so, Jack and Lily walked behind the Doctor and Rose, both couples hand in hand.

" This is kind of like the old days," Rose mused cutting through the silence they'd fallen into, " the four of us off together. "

" Except some of us look a little different," the Doctor said, glancing over his shoulder to meet Lily's eyes and smiling at her.

Jack shrugged, " And some of us can live a little longer than we could before," he said, making Rose turned around to smile at him.

" And we're two couples now," Lily added, " not like when we met. "

Rose smiled and looked up at the Doctor and Lily couldn't help but think that Rose and her dad were the most perfect couple - they were soulmates. She was sure he'd do anything for Rose.

Lily felt more nervous as they got to the wasteland near the burnt down Broadfell, and she took a few deep breaths, carefully looking this way and that for the Master.

The Doctor walked ahead of the others slightly, and he stopped when he saw a figure in front of them by several feet.

Sitting on the ground, with his back to them, was the Master. Lily dreaded the thought of being in contact with him, and Jack squeezed her hand briefly. She nodded without looking at him.

The Doctor looked around and his eyes settled on Lily's.

" You, with me," he said, taking a step forwards, dropping Rose's hand, and wrapping his hand around Lily's arm.

" To him? " she whispered, looking that way.

He looked at her for a long moment, " Unless you don't want ... but I know you, darling, and I know you're stronger now. I know you want answers. " He shook his head, " you don't have to get that close, I suppose, if you don't want. "

She shook her head, " Closure," she said, " I need to face this. "

The Doctor nodded and looked at Jack and Rose, " Maybe we should give him a bit of space. You could follow us if you want, but don't crowd him. We don't know what he's capable of. "

" I bloody do," Jack said, trying very hard not to clench his fists, though he couldn't stop the tension in his jaw, " he's -"

" Jack," the Doctor warned, " we're not here to make him pay for ... for before. This is somehting new. We have to try and deal with it seperately. "

He turned his back on Rose and Jack, and walked forwards, sliding his hand down Lily's arm and letting her grasp hold of his hand for the security that he knew she craved.

As they walked forwards, the Master slowly turned around.

His eyes were cold and hard, and he started to walk forwards, just as the Doctor and Lily did. The Master seemed to be glaring at the Doctor as they walked towards each other, though she noticed his eyes flickering towards her, curiously.

She then realised she had been in her previous regeneration when they met before.

She wondered how long it would take him to realise who she was. At the moment he seemed too focused on the Doctor to think about anything else.

The Master looked down at his hands, which were sparking and glowing, and he suddenly lifted one and pointed it at the Doctor.

Lily's jaw dropped as a bolt of lightening flew out from it and missed the Doctor, hitting the building some way behind them. She winced and the Doctor kept on walking, so so did she.

She watched with fear as he rubbed his hands together and then threw out another lightening bolt. The aim looked much better, and the Doctor quickly saw it coming - he let go of Lily's hand and pushed her away quickly, in a panic.

She stumbled away from him and turned back to look at him in time to see him hit by the full force of the bolt. His face contorted in pain and she looked back at Rose and Jack to see them watching in horror. She rushed towards her dad as he staggered forwards, and the Master also moved forwards too.

He got to the Doctor before Lily did and caught him before he fell to the ground, staring him in the face before letting go of him.

The Doctor fell to the ground, face contorting in agony as he tried to fight the pain.

Lily knelt down beside him and she reaching out to lay a hand on his shoulder softly.

" Are you alright? Tell me you're alright? " she demanded in a panic, before looking at the Master, who was now kneeling beside the Doctor and Lily, watching carefully, " You're an animal," she told him.

In all her concern for her dad, she found herself forgetting her fear of him.

As the Doctor groaned and tried to fight his pain, the Master turned his attention to Lily. She could feel his eyes on her as she leaned over her dad - he hadn't noticed Jack and Rose hanging back yet, and he was focusing on her.

" You," he said slowly.

She turned to look at his eyes and was terrified of seeing the scary glint she'd seen before, every time he'd tried to abuse her. Every time he _had _abused her.

She knew he'd figured out it - the mind link would be enough, of course, but maybe there was something in the look on her face that gave her away. Or maybe the fact that she was with the Doctor. And close to the Doctor.

Suprise was etched all over his face, and soon replaced with a smirk.

" Well, well, well," he said, " Lily, is that really you? "

She forgot all about her Dad as she looked at the Master. She didn't reply, and his smirk grew, " it is, isn't it? " He laughed, and it was a sound that went straight through her, a manic laugh, " Oh you were a pretty little thing to begin with but you're a real woman now, aren't you? And rather beautiful too. "

" Don't," she said, looking away from him.

He seemed intruiged by the new regeneration, and somehow she managed to stay strong so far, to prove that she wasn't going to let him ruin her life. When she looked away, she suddenly felt his hand on her face.

She drew in a sharp breath as he slowly lifted her face up, hand on her cheek, forcing her to look him in the eye. He moved slowly and deliberately, and it was strange to feel his cold skin on hers. Colder than Jack's human hand's at least, which she was so used to now.

" We could have been great you know," he said, his voice startig to take on a hard tone, " but you had to refuse, didn't you? Made me force you into things. If you'd just been nicer to me, Lily ... "

" No," she said, finally coming out of her shocked daze and finding the strength to stop him and reaching up to push his hand off her, " you don't get to talk to me like you're in charge of me. "

He looked disappointed, " Oh you don't mean that," he said leaning forwards, his voice taking on a menacing tone, " we were good together. "

She shuffled backwards on her knees - his voice made her skin crawl and she turned her attention back to her dad thankful that the Master seemed to have turned his attention to the Doctor too.

Lily leant over her dad and he started to sit up, the pain having gone away, it seemed. Lily looked over her shoulder to see Jack and Rose approaching now.

The Master laughed when he saw the pair of them, " Oh Jack! " he cried, " Jack! " Looking at Lily, he added, " Oh he's still on the scene. I didn't expect him to stick around. Oh, this is brilliant! Let's see how much fun I can have this time around! "

" You'll be staying away from her," Jack said firmly, clenching his fists.

" Oh please, you proved before that you're not capable of protecting your precious girlfriend. " His eyes moved to Rose, " besides, there seems to be a lovely new girl on the scene. Looks like I've got a choice now, doesn't it? "

The Doctor groaned, kneeling up and facing the Master, " Enough! " he said sharply, " that's not what all this is about - leave the girls out of it. "

" Well," he said with a smirk, " is this ... Doctor, is this your _girlfriend_? Oh, that really is too precious. " He laughed, looked Rose up and down, and then shook his head.

" Don't worry," he told the Doctor, " Your little girlfriend is quite safe. I wouldn't settle for anything less than _time lord _these days. "

" She's not what this is about," the Doctor said, sitting down cross legged, as the Master did the same, " There's things going on out there. "

There was a long silence, and the Master was staring at one point on the ground. Lily sat beside her dad, and Rose and Jack were still standing up, waiting to see what was happening here.

The Master took in several deep breaths and then suddenly looked up at the Doctor, " Do you remember home? " he asked

" Of course," the Doctor nodded.

The Master glanced at Lily, and there was a strange look on his face - some kind of nostalgia. " You won't remember it, of course," he said, his tone soft and sad, " you'd have been too young. It's shame really. " Looking back at the Doctor, he said, " I had estates. All my father's land back home, you remember? Pastures of red grass, stretching far across the slopes of Mount Perdition. We used to ru across the fields all day. Calling up at the sky. And now look at us. "

The Doctor shook his head, while Lily thought about how odd it was to think that her dad had been friends with the Master, back when they were kids.

Clearly they had some kind of connection, and Lily wondered what had happened to the Master to make things go wrong - what could possibly have happened for the Master to become so evil?

" All that eloquence," the Doctor sighed, " but how many people have you killed? "

The Master sighed, his voice suddenly sounding threatening, " I am soooo hungry. "

" It's because your resurrection went wrong," the Doctor supplied, " Your body's ripped open, and now you're killing yourself. "

The master groaned, clutching his hair in his hands, " So hungry - and there's all this food out there. These humans ... they eat so much. Roasting meet, cakes and red wine, hot hot food. Pots and plates - "

" Stop," Doctor said, confused

The Master continued ranting, and the Doctor finally shouted, " Stop! "

There was a long silence, and as the Doctor and the Master stared at each other, Lily glanced at her husband, who was looking just as confused about the whole situation as she was.

" What if I ask you for help? " the Doctor asked, sounding weak, and Lily knew it was because he was terrified about the prophecy and what it could mean for him.

The Master laughed, " You don't want any help from _me. "_

" There's more at work here than you and me," the Doctor returned, " than all of us," headed, with a glanc at his companions and back at the Master.

" Oh really? "

" I've been told, something is returning," the Doctor said deliberately and slowly.

" And here I am! " the Master said victoriously.

" No! " the Doctor groaned, " something ... else. "

" But it hurts," the Master said, sounding, for the first time Lily had ever heard him, weak.

" I was told," the Doctor frowned, " the end of time. "

The Master groaned, shaking his head vigourously, " It hurts. Doctor, the noise, it hurts. " He looked weak and almost in pain, and Lily was finding it quite hard to believe. She hated the man, but she was curious about what he was talking about. " The noise inside my head. "

The Master crawled forwards on his knees a little, and Lily moved backwards instinctively. The master noticed and glanced at her, before shaking his head - his eyes looked full of pain and as he mumbled about the noise in his head, she remembered about all those time on the Valiant, when he'd gone on about the sound of the drums.

They had all assumed it was because he was insane- the sounds in his head were nothing more than that.

" Doctor! " the Master said, " one, two, three, four. One, two, three, four. Stronger than ever before. Come on, you two are time lords - we share the same bond. Can't you hear it? "

" There's ... there's nothing there," Lily said, though she was incredibly intruiged to find out what was going on.

The Doctor nodded, " I'm sorry. There's nothing there. "

" Please! " the Master said desperately, edging closer to the Doctor and holding out his hands, " listen - every minute, every second. " He looked very helpless and Lily had to fight not to feel sorry for him - she forced herself to remember who he was. "He continued, " It's calling to me. Please, listen! "

" It's not there," the Doctor said.

The Master shook his head and growled, " Listen," before taking the Doctor's face in his hands. Lily watched in shock as the two of them knelt in front of each other, and both closed their eyes in concentration.

A few seconds later, the Doctor tore away in horror, and Lily immediately demanded, " Dad, what it is? What did he do to you? "

" He didn't do anything, " the Doctor said slowly, looking horrified.

" Dad," Lily said, shaking her head, " he's mental! Whatever he just did to you - it was a trick! "

" Darling, there _is _a sound," the Doctor said.

The Master nodded, looking pained, and he shuffled towards Lily, holding out his hands. She shook her head and moved backwards, able to picture all the horrid things those hands had done to her, and she felt a comforting hand on her shoulder.

She smiled slightly at Jack's comforting presence, and his hands were warm and gentle as they massaged her shoulders. She nodded, and she knew that it was something she needed to do.

She closed her eyes and tried to concentrate hard on pushing away all the thoughts of his hands of her, his lips on hers.

She drew in her breath sharply as she felt his hands on her cheeks, with his index and middle fingers pressed against her temples - it was the same kind of pose Lily adopted when trying to see into Jack's mind, and he leaned in and rested his forehead against hers.

She could hear him breathing deeply, erractically, clearly panicked. Lily thought that he was worried and the thought of him being worried was odd.

Then suddenly she heard it. She felt it.

One, two, three, four.

A rhythm of four fast beats pounding into her head, and she realised it was coming from _him. _She pulled away just as her father had, and Jack was gripping her shoulder.

" Lily? Tell me you're alright! "

The panic in his voice was evident, and she nodded as she slowly stood up, turning to face her husband, " Jack, I'm fine. I'm fine. I just ... he _has _got the sound of the drums in his head. Just like he always said. "

She was horrified about how he could have gone through his life with that constant noise in his head - it would be enough to drive anyone mad.

" What's _inside _your head? " the Doctor demanded, breathless.

" It's real! It's real! " the Master cackled, throwing his arms out triumphantly, " it was there all along. "

Lily slowly wrapped her arm around Jack's waist, feeling uncomfortable and uneasy with the whole situation. He knew she was feeling confused and starting to get worked up about it, and he rested his own arm around her, drawing her in close.

The Master cackled and a bolt of light flew out from his hand, propelling him into the sky. He was out of sight but they could hear his voice, and the Doctor started to follow the sound, so the others followed the Doctor.

When they stopped, he was standing on the top of a huge mound of dirt and he laughed victoriously, " All those years, you thought I was mad! But something is calling me, is it? What is it? "

A suddenly light illuminated the Master from up above, and they all looked up to try and see the source. Lily staggered backwards a light from its brightness, trying to figure out the source, and the next thing she knew, ropes were falling down around the Master.

Men in black outfits were sliding down the ropes and they grabbed the Master and injecting something into his neck, making him suddenly go very limp.

" No! " the Doctor shouted, while Lily also took a few steps forward, trying to figure out what was going on.

As much as she hated him, she knew they needed to know where the evil time lord was - something was going on and he was a part of it. Knowing what he was capable of, they couldn't afford to let him out of their sights.

The men on the ropes started to shoot at the Doctor, Lily, Rose and Jack, while the ropes started to get hoisted upwards, and towards a big black helicopter.

Lily, like the others, immediately turned on her heel and started to run as fast as she could in the direction of the parked TARDIS, to avoid getting shot.

Once they got inside the TARDIS, the Doctor slammed the door hard, and turned around to look at everyone.

" Everyone alright? " he asked, glancing over at Lily and Jack, while reaching out to Rose with both hands. Jack and Lily both nodded, and Lily watched as the Doctor pulled Rose into a big hug.

She smiled, thinking about how they were made for each other, and she felt Jack's arms sliding around her middle. She turned around to face him and hugged him tightly.

He ran his hand down her back and kissed her cheek, and once everyone was sure that they were safe and well, the Doctor sprang into action.

" We've got to get going - need to find him," he insisted, moving around the console at top speed.

" Dad, why the hell has he been kidnapped, and why were they shooting at us? " asked Lily, shaking her head.

" We'll find out," promised the Doctor, not looking up, " we'll find out. "

" Where are we going? " Rose, asked, edging closer to the console as the TARDIS started to take flight.

" I want to go see Wilfred," he replied.

Rose frowned at him, " You wanna go see ... that old man? Um ... why? "

" It's the only place I can think of," he admitted, turning around to face them all, " we don't have a clue what we're doing here, or what the Master's up to, and we need to find out. There's something going on, and I don't understand why I've been drawn to Wilf more than once - of all the people on earth, and to meet him by coincidence several times - there's something to it. "

Lily sighed and as they TARDIS flew, she reached out and took hold of Jack's hand. Jack smiled and curled his fingers around hers. Just the feel of his hand against hers made her feel comforted, and she smiled a little.

They were in silence until the TARDIS landed.

When it landed, the Doctor turned to face them all, " Maybe we shouldn't all go in," he suggested, " do you think it would a bit too much if all four of us went in there? Might ... might be a bit hard to explain if Donna came in. "

Jack frowned, " What happens if Donna remembers you? What if just ... seeing you, sparks it off? "

" It wouldn't," replied the Doctor, " not just seeing her, I don't think - I saw her just after I took her home that day. She didn't even recognise me. I think I'd have to say something about it all for her to remember. But I _do _think allo four of us going in there might be a bit much. "

" Probably," Lily nodded.

Rose nodded and looked at Lily, " You and the Doctor, then? "

Lily hesitated for a moment, and then nodded, " No," she said, thinking about the connection between her dad and his soulmate. She felt like she was intruding on their new happy life together and she didn't want Rose to feel pushed out for her sake, " you go. It's ok, I'll stay here. "

Rose looked suprised, " You sure? "

Lily smiled, " Rose, you're his partner in crime these days. " Her smile grew as she looked up at Jack, " besides, the company in here will be quite sufficent. "

" Only sufficent? " Jack asked, smirking as he draped his free arm over her shoulders, " well, we'll have to do something about that, won't we? "

The Doctor sighed, " Jack, what have I told you about flirting with my daughter in front of me? "

" Do it? " Jack asked hopefully.

The Doctor rolled his eyes, " _Don't," _he corrected, before heading for the door.

" She _is _my wife now - I think I'm entitled to a little flirting. And then some," Jack pointed out with a cheeky grin, " it's not like I'm flirting with your innocent single daughter any more, is it? "

The Doctor pretended to sigh dramatically, though there was a grin across his face, " You know Jack, I don't know which way is more annoying to me. "

Lily giggled, " Oh get out," she said, shaking her head at her dad, " you _know _Jack will always be your favourite son-in-law. "

The Doctor left, with Rose in tow, and Jack smiled at Lily, " I think we have a spaceship to ourselves," he said.

She laughed, " Come on. Let's go some place. "

" Where to? " he asked as she pulled him through the double doors at the back of the TARDIS and they started down the familiar, vast corridors of the TARDIS, a place that had one been home to both of them, and where they'd first found love.

" The possibilites are endless, dear husband," she said with a smile on her face.

He started to recognise where they were going and when they entered the kitchen, he raised his eyebrows, " Food? "

" What were you thinking? " she asked, shaking her head as she headed for the fridge, " we haven't eaten a proper meal since yesterday and you know this place will give you anything you wish for. Where did you _think _I'd be taking you? "

" Well ... " he said, his grin giving him away.

" Oh for goodness sake Jack," she said, rolling her eyes, " we're chasing a psycho - how can you think of sex at a time like this? "

He had the grace to look embarrassed and she turned her back on him.

She opened the fridge and smiled in delight as she pulled out a plate. Jack laughed when he saw the rich chocolate fudge cake sitting on the plate in her hand, and he turned to the fridge as she sat at the breakfast counter.

When he sat opposite her, they both tucked in.

" Jack," Lily said slowly, looking up at him, " will you promise me that once we've got the Master gone, we can go back home, move into our new house and be ... happy? Promise me we can go home and celebrate wedding anniversaries and birthdays and Valentines and Christmas? "

" Baby," Jack said with a smile, " when we go home, I promise you you can have everything you want. When this is done, we can go home and be the happiest couple there ever was. "

" Promise? "

He laughed, " Promise. When this has all gone away, I'm going to make you the happiest I possibly can. "

Lily looked up at him and then bit her lip, her spoon pausing halfway to her lips, " Oh kitten," she said, " I didn't mean that you _don't _make me happy. " She put her spoon down, " you know you make me happier than I've ever been, don't you? You _know _you're ... you're the best thing that ever happened to me. "

" I know what you meant," he nodded, " if there's one person you can rely on to know what you're thinking about, or how you're feeling, it's me, and you know it," he said.

Lily nodded and picked up her spoon again, " I am so glad I met you. You're so ... god, you're so perfect. "

He smiled but didn't acknowledge it, and a few moments later, he said, " I can't wait to move into our new place, you know. It's going to be so ... so ... new. "

" I thought maybe we could have one of the bedrooms as an office," Lily said, through a mouthful of chocolate cake, " in fact I think it's neccessary. We could get the phone hooked up to a phone in the spare room in case we got those horrible late night police calls. And if we have an office at home, we can bring paperwork home and we won't have to be at the office so late. "

Jack nodded, " That might be a good idea. And as for the third bedroom? "

Lily shrugged, a smile crossing her face, " Just leave it empty for a while," she said, " until we have a little baby to put there. "

Jack laughed.

" God I love you," he said.

Lily smiled, " I know. "

They ate their food and then headed back to the control room, waiting for the Doctor and Rose to return. They sat on the floor together, Lily's back pressed against Jack's chest as he wrapped his arms around her.

They were so cosy together and it felt like a little respite from everything that was going on and she closed her eyes as she leaned back against him.

He was muttering comforting things in her ear, promising her everything was going to be solved.

They were sat there quietly when the doors flew open and there was the sound of footsteps hurrying in. Lily opened her eyes and she felt Jack standing up behind her. She took his outstretched gand and got to her feet, watching her dad fly around the console, while Rose watched, and Wilfred Mott stared in amazement around the place.

" What's going on? " Lily asked, aware of Donna's mother - Wilf's daughter - outside shouting that they come back, although they were already leaving, " you _must _have found something out, the way you're running around. "

The Doctor pointed to the lever beside her and ordered, " Pull that please, darling," before throwing something at her. She caught the book and looked at the cover.

" Joshua Naismith? " she asked.

The Doctor looked at her in suprise, " You know who is? The Ood showed me- well us, - him and I didn't have a clue who he was. He must be important and - "

Lily nodded, " I forgot all about him, to be honest what with the Master. But he's some kind of millionaire, technology expert ... " she shrugged and looked at her dad, " guess living on earth is having some benefits. "

" We're going to see him," the Doctor said, glancing around at everyone, " if I can track him down - " he trailed off when he saw Wif staring around in amazement and Jack smirked.

" Yeah, it's a bit bigger on the inside," he supplied helpfully.

" D'you like it? " the Doctor asked him.

Wilfred shrugged looking around, " I thought it'd be a bit cleaner. "

Lily pulled a face, " That's certainly a new reaction. And it _is _clean. " She felt very protective of the TARDIS, which would always be home to her as much as Jack was her home too.

" Cleaner," the Doctor scoffed, shaking his head, " my girls don't seem to have much a problem with it. "

Rose and Lily exchanged an amused look as they took flight, and Wilf said, " Listen Doctor, if you've got a time machine, that man you're chasing ... why can't you just pop back to yesterday and find him? "

" Doesn't work like that," the Doctor said, " I can't cross my own timeline. I have to stay relative to the Master within the caual nexus. Understand? "

" Not a word," confessed Wilfred

Rose laughed and as they set off, Lily found herself getting worried again at the thought of being near the Master. He didn't seem nearly as scary this time around but he was still the Master, and he'd still made those little comments earlier about how he still wanted her.

She felt Rose's hand on her shoulder from beside her and she smiled.

Jack was at the other side of the TARDIS with the docotr and Wilf, and Lily was reminded of all the good times she and Rose had shared the first time they'd travelled together. They were always wandering off when the Doctor said they shouldn't and always getting into chaos and they were always firm friends.

Lily hated the thought of Rose being preyed on by the Master just as she herself had, even though she knew Jack and the Doctor would never let that happen again.

Rose didn't say anything but Lily knew the thought was there and she nodded gratefully.

" You know," Lily sighed after a moment, " when this is done, we should go for a drink. In fact, we should go for a night out. "

Rose nodded, " Yeah, we should. "

" Oi! " the Doctor said from the doorway, " you two coming? "

Lily nodded and the two moved forwards. Wilf was staring around in amazement when they left the TARDIS, unable to believe they had actually left and arrived somewhere else. Lily noticed her dad lock the TARDIS, hiding it in a second out of sync so that the Master wouldn't be able to take it like he had done before.

" You should stay here," the Doctor told Wilf, while reaching out for Rose's hand to keep her safe and close.

Rose laughed, " When has _anyone _ever stayed behind when they should have done? "

The Doctor struggled to find an answer and he shook his head, looking up at the huge building.

" Let's get inside," he said, " he's involved, and something's telling me that the Master isn't far off either. "

They ran around the perimeter of the house, looking for a way in, and Lily almost felt all her breath leave her when they saw several security guards passing. Jack pulled on her arm and pulled her straight into the wall to make sure she was out of sight.

He mouthed a "sorry" at her and she nodded in acceptance.

" This bloke's a billionaire," Wilf whispered, tugging at the Doctor's sleeve, " he's got his own private army, that book said. "

The Doctor spotted a covered passage and started to lead them all down it. He pulled out his sonic screwdriver and disappeared into the passage way, pulling Rose with him, and Wilf, Jack and Lily quickly following.

They'd walked straight into a big room filled with computers and a young woman.

Lily instantly knew there was something not right about them - her instincts were always very sharp and she knew this was no human. The scent was slightly off ... this was no human.

The woman was just around a corner and were too busy to notice them, and there was a man's voice over an intercom saying, " We're getting encouraging results from the ratio feedback. Can you confirm? "

The woman replied, " The man's a miracle. All the systems are slotting back into place. Shatterthreads have harmonised. The fibrelinks have densified. The multiple overshots have triplicated. "

" Nice game! " the Doctor said, stepping around the corner.

" Hello! " Wilf added, also stepping around, looking like he was enjoying this big new adventure.

The Doctor smirked as they all stepped into view, " Don't try calling security or I'll tell them you're wearing a shimmer. Cos I reckon anyone wearing a shimmer doesn't want the shimmer to be noticed or they wouldn't need a shimmer in the first place. "

" W-what? " the woman asked, looking very unhappy with their presence, and Lily supposed they made quite an unusual bunch.

The Doctor laughed and pointed the sonic screwdriver at her, " Shimmer! "

Lily watched as the woman flickered and turned into a green skinned alien, with small spikes coming out of her skin.

" Oh my lord, she's a cactus! " Wilf exclaimed while Rose couldn't help letting out a giggle and Jack supressed a chuckle, while Lily stared.

They were interrupted by a voice, " Miss Addams? Miss Addams, are you there? "

The intercom was talking again and as the green alien woman went to look at a computer screen, the Doctor was the first to go look at the screen over her shoulder.

Lily was trying to gage his reaction and from the look on his face, they'd found the Master.

Lily immediately went to look at the screen and what she saw was a large room with a large rectangular piece of metal hooked up to machines. Lily wasn't sure what it was but she frowned as she tried to figure out it out.

Joshua Naismith and a young woman were stood watching it proudly, and then she saw the Master. Restrained, arms bound up, glaring at his captors.

She shuddered at the sight of him and watched as he roared manically at Naismith, " Let me go! I repaired it for you! "

" I'm not an idiot," laughed Naismith, " no-one is to let him anywhere near it. "

The Doctor frowned, moving to another computer, " He's got it working, but what is it? "

Lily glanced over her shoulder at Jack, " What's he fixing? Why have they got him to fix something for them? What ... "

" I don't know," Jack said, also frowning.

Lily watched her dad frantically try and find out more, and she looked up when she realised a young man had walked into the room. The man demanded to know what was going on and the Doctor simply responded by pointing at the man with his screwdriver, muttering shimmer, and revealing to everyone else that this was an alien too.

" Now, tell me," the Doctor said, looking around at the two aliens, particularly the man, who'd just come from upstairs, " Harold Saxon, or whatever you're calling him, what's he doing up there? Tell us all. "

The male alien was about to say something, but on the screen they all watched as Naismith adressed the Master.

" Your reputation precedes you sir," he said, " but I have no doubt you've laid traps. Prehap explosives - a means of . But everything you've done to the gate will be checked, double checked and triple checked before anyone stands inside it. "

The male alien shook his head at them all, " I checked the readings - he's done a good job. It's completely operational. "

" Who are you? " the Doctor asked the male, who then introduced himsel as Rossiter. The Doctor shook his head and continued, " I've met someone a bit like you, although he was red. And little. "

The woman - Addams - groaned, frustrated, " That's a Zocci! "

" We're not Zocci," Rossiter insisted, " we're Vinvocci! Completely different of course. "

" Of course," Jack murmured, as Lily elbowed him to wipe the smirk off his face.

Rossiter continued, " And the Gate's Vinvocci too. We're a salvage team - we picked up a signal when these humans reactivated it. And as soon as it's working, we transport it to our ship. "

" But what is it? " Lily demanded at the same time the Doctor asked, " What does it do? "

" Well it mends," Rossiter said, as everyone listened very carefully, just desperate to know what was going on and what they could do to change all this. " It's a medical device to repairs the body - makes people better. "

" No, there's got to be more," the Doctor said, as everyone was completely silent, allowing the information to sink in, " every single warning sign says the Master's going to do something colossal. "

Wilf pointed at the machine on the screen, " So that thing's like a sick bed, then? And why is it so big? "

" Good question," nodded the Doctor, " why's it so big? "

" Well, it doesn't just mend one person at a time," Rossiter said.

" It ... it doesn't? " Lily asked, starting to get a very bad feeling settling in the pit of her stomach at all this.

" It mends whole planets," Addams said.

Lily thought she'd understood what that meant and she let out a little gasp of horror as she looked around at Jack, whose eyes were widening as he also seemed to understand. The Doctor stared in horror.

" It does what? " the Doctor exploded, reaching out almost without realising it, his hand closing around Lily's forearm as he pulled her a little closer and pulling Rose in with his other hand.

" It transmits the medical template across the entire population," supplied Addams.

The Doctor ran from the room, accidentally dropping Rose's hand in the process and dragging Lily along with him. Lily realised what he was going to do - the Master was going to put himself into the gate and the result ... well, they didn't want to think about it.

Lily was terrified and she felt her dad's hand slide from her arm to her hand and he held it tightly as they ran. They ran fast and she could hear Rose and Jack thundering along the corridor behind them.

She couldn't face what was going to happen, and the Doctor dragged her into the room where the Master and the others were and immediately shouted, " Close this Gate right now! "

" At arms! " Naismith ordered his guards.

" No, no, no," the Doctor said, dropping Lily's hand so they could both hold up their arms for surrender, " Whatever you do, just don't let him near the device. "

" Oh, like that was ever going to happen," the Master said mockingly.

It all happened too fast, and Lily watched in horror as the Master used his newfound power to throw off his restraints and he dashed across the room and had jumped into the Immortality Gate without anyone being able to stop him.

Lily knew this was going to be terrible, even if she wasn't too sure what was about to happen.

" Deactivate it! " the Doctor shouted, " all of you - turn that whole things off right now! "

Lily looked around to see that everyone around them was shaking their heads in pain, clutchin at their heads. Her eyes fell on Rose - Rose was fine. On Jack - Jack nodded to tell her he was fine too and she smiled - at least her puytting defences into his head seemed to have worked.

" He's ... inside my head," Naismith groaned.

The Doctor looked from person to person and no-one was doing anything, so he lunged at the machine, shouting at the Master to get out of there. The Master threw the Doctor back with his lightening bolts, and Rose rushed forwards and knelt at his side.

Lily moved forwards and the Master held up his hands at her warningly, " Don't even bother," he said, as Jack came up behind her and pulled her backwardsa little, his strong arm settling around her waist.

" Doctor," Wilf said as the Doctor staggered to his feet, " I can see this face ... in my mind. "

The Doctor didn't say a word and with a glare towards the Master, he pulled Wilf towards one of the secure glass units he spotted in the corner, shutting him inside it.

" Fifty seconds and counting," the Master laughed.

" To what? " the Doctor shouted in frustration while Lily waited for an answer, her nails digging into Jack's hand as she laid her hand over his.

" You're going to love this," the Master cackled, " you all are. "

The Doctor frantically tried to work at the controls along with Jack to deactivate it, but the Master laughed, as if he knew it was no good.

Lily and Rose were hovering by the unit Wilfred was in and Lily watched as he recieved a phone call.

" It's Donna! " Wilf told them both.

" Try and find out what's going on," Lily said, " you're safe because you're in there and the rest of us - me, Dad, Jack, Rose - are safe because we're either not human, part not human, or have been given defences by a non-human. "

Wilf nodded and his phone rung again, taking another call.

" It's my friend," Wilf said, " he can see it. And he thinks everyone can. Says eeryone can see this face. "

" Dad, it's everyone! " Lily said, shaking her head.

The Doctor nodded and looked up at the Master, " What is this, mind control? "

" Or hypnotism? " suggested Jack, " you're grating your thoughts through them. "

" Ah, too easy freak," said the Master with a cackle, " no, no, they're going to think like me. Ah Doctor, they're all going to _become _me. " Lily bit her lip and watched in horror as he threw out his arms, " and zero! "

Lily gasped as a brilliant white light shot out of the room.

She felt fear building up and building up inside her as the humans in the room - except Jack and Wilf - started shaking their heads quickly, their faces flickering. The Masters features were starting to appear and she couldn't believe it.

" He can't have! " the Doctor groaned, as those around them shook their heads more and more vigourously.

" No," Lily mumbled, her hands clenching into fists, " no ... it ... " her breathig was becoming quicker and quicker and she was oblivious to Wilf on the phone again, muttering something about Donna. None of the words were going in, and all she could hear was the Master's cackle - all she could see was his face.

Suddenly, they all stopped moving and all those affected had been turned into the master. She could see his face everywhere, and he was everywhere. All she could think about was the Master, and she could picture all of these versions of the Mater treating her the way the actual Master had all that time ago.

She let out a whimper and felt a tear fall down her cheek. She knew she was close to breaking down and seeing his face everywhere was far too much for her to cope with. It was all taking her back to where she'd been before, never mind how much she wanted to prove to him that she was over it.

She jumped, startled, when she felt hands on her arms.

" Don't look at them," Jack mumbled, stood in front of her and trying to block everything else from her view.

She tried to focus her eyes on his, and he lightly squeezed her arms.

" Lily, come on baby, look at me," he said in his softest tone of voice, though he was clearly trying to exert some authority, " baby, look at me. I want you to look me right in the eye anddo not take your eyes off mine, ok? "

" He's everywhere," she whispered, trying to block out his voice in the background.

" I know, baby," Jack mumbled, keeping hold of her as she breathed deeply. Her breathing slowly as she gripped his arms and kept her eyes on his.

He nodded encouragingly and she shook her head, " He's everywhere. His eyes, his voice, his laugh," she whispered, " I don't know what to do, Jack. " A stray tear fell down her cheek, " tell me what to do, I don't know what to do. I'm ... I'm ... he's everywhere. "

Jack shook his head and pulled her close, pressing her face into his chest so she couldn't see any of the "Masters."

He held onto her tightly and pressed a kiss to the top of her head as he mumbled, " He's not going to hurt you, I won't let him. It's going to work out. "

She didn't see how and neither did he but she kept clinging to him and he held on tightly too.


	23. End of Time Part Two

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

Chapter Twenty Three

Jack kept hold of Lily tightly and mumbled comforting words into her ear as he rubbed her back soothingly. She clung to him, trying to stop anymore tears from falling.

She heard the Master's voice - the oringinal Master - shouting at his copies to sieze the Doctor, Wilf, and Jack. She felt Jack being pulled away from her and watched in fear as her dad was dragged over to an upright table.

They strapped him in tightly, and put a gag over his mouth and Lily shook her head in horror as she watched, feeling rooted to the spot. Wilf was tied to a chair by two more of the Master's clones, and a few came for Jack.

When they dragged Jack away from her, she tried to follow, and one of the copies of the Masters pushed her away. She flinched at his touch and took a big step back, wrapping her arms around herself, and not trying to touch him again, although she wanted Jack at her side.

She watched in sadness and fear as two of the Masters gripped Jack by his arms and kept hold of him tightly - they had nothing else to tie him to, except a chair, and two men holding him forcefully was more likely to keep him still, than a chair.

They held Jack tightly, so he couldn't get away, but no-one was trying to get away anyway - not when no-one knew quite what was going on.

" What about the girls? " one of the Masters - all of whom Lily was trying not to look at - asked the original Master.

Lily suddenly remembered Rose and looked across the room to see her look completely terrified and confused. She winced when she heard the original Master's voice, sounding like he was contemplating it - she didn't even want to think about what had happened the last time they were in a situation like this.

" Hmmm," the Master said, stroking his face as he thought about it, " well ... " He glanced across the room, and his eyes settled on Lily, as he smirked, " Lily and I could have a lot of fun. But maybe not right now. "

Lily shuddered.

The Master continued, " And the other one is very pretty too. But I'm afraid they'll both have to wait for a while. Leave them be, they won't go anywhere. " He then looked at both Rose and Lily and pointed at the corner of the room, " go stand there," he said.

Lily knew better than to argue, and she went to stand over there, Rose quickly following. They were standing away from Jack and the Doctor, but not too far away, and a few copies of the Master stood near them, keeping a watchful eye.

Lily met Rose's eyes, and Rose looked scared.

Lily tried - and failed - to smile, but Rose appreciated the sentiment.

The Master grinned to himself and wandered over to the Doctor, " Well," he said, looking very pleased with himself, " I've got a planet to run, haven't I? "

The Master looked around the room, and then looked at the screens which had images of the important world leaders, who had now been turned into versions of the Master.

" Is everybody ready? " he asked.

The Joshua Naismith Master replied, " 6,727,949,338 versions of us awaiting orders. "

The Master looked impressed with himself and smirked at the Doctor, and the Masters on the screen started to reply.

The Master/President of the USA called, " This is Washington. As President of the United States, I can transfer all the United Nations protocols to you immediately, putting you in charge of all of the earth's defences. "

The Master/Head of UNIT, added, " UNIT H.Q. Geneva reporting. All under your command, sir. "

The Master/Head of Chinese Military grinned, " And this is Central Military Comission, here in Bejing, sir! Over 2.5 million soldiers, sir! "

Lily realised exactly how serious this was, and the Master was just loving it. He grinned, " Enough soldiers and weapons to turn this planet into a warship. "

The Master moved closer to the Doctor and leaned down, pretending to be concerned, " Nothing to say? " The Doctor glared, his gag obviously preventing him from talking. The Master continued, " Doctor, what's that? Pardon? " When the Doctor finally made a little noise, the Master raised his eyebrows, " sorry? "

" Leave him alone! " snapped Lily, unable to stand him being taunted.

The Master grinned at his rival time lord, " Well Doctor," he said, " your daughter is very loyal, isn't she, bless her? "

" Leave him alone," Wilf said too.

The Master scoffed as he looked at the Doctor, rolling his eyes, " Oh, and now your Dad's kicking up a fuss too. "

Wilf defiantly snapped, " So what? I'd be proud if I _was _his Dad. "

The Master glared at Wilf, and was about to say something, when a mobile phone rung out. Lily narrowed her eyes in confusion as she looked around the room - how could _anyone _be ringing Wilf. The only non-Masters were in this room, and they weren't making any calls.

The Master immediately glared at the Doctor who innocently shook his head.

The Master frowned, " But that's ... that's a mobile phone. "

Wilf chuckled a little and nodded, " Sorry, it's mine. Maybe I should turn it off? "

The Master strode over to him, looking forbidding, " No, no, no, you don't understand! Everyone on this planet, except these four imbeciles, is me. I'm not phoning you, so who the hell is? "

Wilf shook his head, as the Master started trying to search him for his phone. " I ... it's nobody. "

Lily watched curiously as the Master searched for the phone, and she watched the Master pull a gun from one of Wilf's pockets. He held it up and glanced at the Doctor, as if they were in casual conversation, " Look at this," he said, before tossing it on the floor and telling Wilf, " good man, though. "

As he eventually pulled out the phone, Lily frowned in confusion as he inspected the screen. Her eyes widened when the Master asked, " Donna? Who's Donna? "

Lily couldn't believe everything that was going on, and she could see her dad trying to keep his face straight to give nothing away, as was Jack. She joined them and tried to keep a straight face.

She could see Wilf desperately trying to be casual as he said, " She's no-one. Just ... just leave it. "

The Master looked around the room, trying to get some kind of reaction from the others in the room, and when no-one said anything, he dialled.

They all watched in anticipation as the Master held the phone to his ear. After a few moments, the look on his face said that she'd picked up, and he frowned, " Who is she? Why didn't she change? "

Wilf looked panicked as he quickly nodded towards the Doctor, and informed the Master, " Well, it was this thing the Doctor did. He did it to her - the meta crisis thing. "

The Master shook his head, looking at the Doctor, " Oh, he loves playing with earth girls. "

Lily rolled her eyes.

They all waited to see what was going to happen next, and the Master paused and then looked around at the other Masters and snapped, " Find her! Trace the call! "

He rushed over to a computer and with the aid of the Joshua Naismith Master.

The look of triumph on his face said that he'd achieved something, and the Masters holding onto Jack tightened their grip, as if worried that he was going to escape. Some of the Masters also moved closer to Rose and Lily, as if they were trying to warn them.

Lily was so scared that she didn't know what was going to happen next, and she was having to fight hard to keep herself calm. She was well aware of the looks of concern her dad and husband were occasionally throwing her way, and was trying to be brave.

Moments later, the Master rushed back over to Wilf, having put the phone onto speaker.

He held the phone up to the old man and smirked, " Say goodbye, Grandad! "

" Donna! " Wilf shouted down the phone, " get out of there. Just get out - I'm telling you! "

Into an intercom, the Naismith Master said, " She's on Wessex Lane, Chiswick. Everyone onto Wessex Lane, Chiswick, red alert! "

Lily felt so worried for the innocent Donna and watched as the Master stood over Wilf, looking pleased with himself. Wilf was full of panic and misery as he shouted down the phone to tell her to keep on running.

Wilf kept desperately calling to her, and he was getting more and more upset.

The more upset Wilf looked, the happier the Master looked, smirking in triumph to the Doctor.

" You're despicable," Lily said, shaking her head at the evil man, and how happy he was about it all.

The Master looked at her, and he shrugged, a grin spreading across his face, " Oh, Lily, you can call me all the names you like - I really don't mind. It won't stop me from getting what I want. "

Lily shook her head at him in disgust, and Jack was glaring at the Master so furiously, the Master would be long gone if looks could kill.

They could hear Donna's desperate response as she couldn't escape, and then suddenly, Donna cried out. Said she could remember things, and as Wilf told her not to think about it, and Jack and Lily and Rose worried about what could happen to Donna, she let out a scream and then there was silence.

There was silence in the room too, until the Master turned to glare at the Doctor, who somehow looked satisfied.

When the Doctor winked at his nemesis the Master immediately strode across the room and ripped the other man's gag off.

The Doctor sighed in relief, " That's better," he said, before shaking his head at the Master, " did you really think I'd leave my dear friend without a defence mechanism? " He then looked across the room, nodded at Jack, and his eyes settled on Rose and Lily. " Lily, you alright Darling? " he asked, " Rose? "

Lily nodded, thankful for his concern, " I ... I'm ok. "

Rose nodded too, " I ... yeah. "

The Doctor knew they were both less "ok" than they were letting on, but he knew they were trying to be brave. He saw the way that they stood closer to each other than they might usually, as if trying to take comfort from each other, but he nodded.

" Enough family talk," the Master said, shaking his head.

" What about Donna? " Wilf asked quickly.

" She's fine," the Doctor said, as Lily realised that he'd given Donna some kind of defences - well, she thought, of course he had. She should have realised. The Doctor added, " I promise she's fine, she'll just sleep now. "

The Master looked around the room, and he wondered what the easiest way to get to the Doctor would be. Would it be through his beloved daughter, or through this new girlfriend? The Master thought picking on the Doctor's girlfriend might be fun, but really, she was inferior for him, wasn't she? She wasn't fully time lord - and he would settle for associating with nothing less.

" Lily," the Master finally said, " could you come over here, please? "

His tone was nice and polite, and Lily was worried about what it meant. She didn't want to argue with him, and the fact that her father was standing there, made her a little less worried.

She crossed the room slowly, trying to give a clearly very worried Jack a reassuring smile as she did so, and she came to stand beside the Doctor and the Master.

" Now," the Master told the Doctor, in a surprisingly polite tone, " I've got your daughter, so you're going to be co-operative. Tell me where the TARDIS is. "

Instead, the Doctor completely changed tack.

He sounded very thoughtful as he said, " You could be so wonderful. "

" Where is it? " asked the Master insistently, reaching out to rest his hand on Lily's shoulder, as if to remind the Doctor that he could do what he wanted.

Lily swallowed hard as his hand rested there and took a deep breath to comfort her. She kept on looking at her dad, who met her eyes. There was something so comforting in his eyes and she found herself a little more able to ignore the hand on her shoulder.

The Doctor looked at the Master, " You're a genius. Stone cold brilliant you are, I swear. But you could be so much more. You can be beautiful with a mind like that. We can travel the stars. It would be my honour. Because you don't really need to own the universe - just see it. "

Lily would never understand why the Doctor felt so compelled to reform the Master and help him. She supposed they had some kind of complex friendship way back in the past, that she'd never know the true extent of.

" W-would it stop then? " the Master asked, the hand on Lily's shoulder remaining, but relaxing, " the noise in my head. "

" I can help," the Doctor offered.

The Master's voice grew thick, and as he completely removed his hand from Lily, she looked over her shoulder to see his eyes actually holding tears, " I don't know what I'd be without that noise. "

" What noise? " Wilf asked curiously.

The Master sighed, " It began on Gallifrey. "

Lily edged closer to her dad and stood at his side as the Master sighed wistfully. She loved hearing about Gallifrey, because she could picture the place but never really remember it. Even when the Master - who she didn't even like - spoke about it, she felt compelled to listen.

The Master continued, " It began as children - not that you'd call it a childhood. More a life of duty. Eight years old, I was taken for initiation, to stare at the untempered schism. "

" The ... what? " Wilf asked.

Jack and Rose were listening curiously too. The Doctor had told Rose a little about Gallifrey, and Lily had told Jack what little she could remember, or at least, what she could remember her dad telling her.

The Doctor answered, " It's a gap in the fabric of reality. You can see into the Time Vortex itself. "

The Master suddenly sounded bitter and angry, "They took me there," he said, " in the dark. And we looked into time. And then I heard it calling to me - drums. The never ending drums. "

The Master suddenly sighed and slumped down into a chair - Lily watched, worried that he was about to burst out into one of his bouts of insanity, and worried about what it would mean for them all.

" Oh! " the Master shouted, " Oh yes! Yes, that's good! "

" What is? " asked the Doctor, worried.

" The noise exists within my head," the Master explained, " and now within six billions heads. Everyone on earth can hear it, can you imagine? Oh, yes! "

Lily jumped about a foot in the air when the Master suddenly began laughing and a flash of blue light shone out of him, his skeleton visible for a few seconds, before he fell to the ground, letting out a loud roar.

" That Gate wasn't enough for you," said the Doctor, explaining, " you're still dying. "

The Master shook his head, " This body was born out of death. All it can do is die. " He slowly got to his feet, " but what did you say to me, back at the wasteland? You said the end of time. "

" I said something is returning," the Doctor nodded, desperate to get to the bottom of all of this, " I was shown a prophecy - that's why I need your help. "

The Master shook his head, and Lily watched the whole thing, trying to figure out what was going on. The Master said, " What if I'm part of it? Don't you see? The drumbeat is calling from so far away! From the end of time itself! And now it's been amplified 6 billion times! Triangulate all those signals! I could find its source! Oh Doctor, that's was your prophecy was ... me. "

Lily stared at the Master, as did everyone else in the room.

The Master edged closer to the Doctor and stopped at the other side of him to the side Lily was standing on.

" Where's the TARDIS? " he asked, in a threatening tone.

When the Doctor said nothing, the Master moved around the Doctor to get to Lily, but when he got to her, ignoring Jack's shout of protest and , he hesitated.

" No," he said, " I might save you for later. " Lily shuddered, and the Master looked around the room, finally settling on Wilf - Wilf could die, the others in the room couldn't. And the Doctor was notorious for coming to the aid of humans.

He pointed to Wilf, " Kill him! "

" Don't! " Lily said, shaking her head at him, as Jack, Rose and the Doctor all protested too.

The Master rolled his eyes at Lily, " No offence, but I'm not really going to listen to you, am I? "

One of the guards strode over to Wilf, and Lily was about to protest again when she noticed something odd. These should all be a copy of the Master - but this guard was ever so slightly taller than the others. This was not one of the Masters, she thought, relaxing.

" I need that technology," the Master told the Doctor, resting his hand on Lily's shoulder again, " tell me where it is, or the old man is dead. "

" Don't tell him! " Wilf shouted.

" I'll kill him right now! " the Master shouted at the Doctor, his other hand coming to rest on Lily's other shoulder. She tensed up when he touched her, and took a deep breath. She saw Jack's eyes on her, and it was a reassuring look, so she nodded.

The Doctor suddenly smirked, " Actually, the most impressive thing about you, you know, is that after all this time, you're still bone dead stupid. "

Lily resisted the urge to laugh, and the Master simply ordered his guard, " Take aim. "

The Doctor chuckled a little, and Lily was very curious, as he said, " You've got 6 billion pairs of eyes, yet you still can't see what's right in front of you. " He smirked and added, " that guard, is one inch too tall. "

By the time the Master turned back to look at the guard and Wilf, it was too late, and Lily pulled herself from his grip just in time before the guard hit the Master with the butt of the gun, causing him to collapse to the floor.

" Oh, my God! " cried the guard, pulling off a mask, to reveal that he was the green Vinvocci - Rossiter. " I hit him - I've never hit anyone! "

The door of the room burst open, and the other Vinvocci - Addams - came rushing in.

They all burst into action, and Lily huried to help Addams start cutting off the bonds that tied Wilf down to the chair. Rose and Jack hurried to try and help the Doctor get the straps and ties off him, but they were proving difficult.

Lily and Addams cut Wilf free, and as Rossiter struggled to help the others undo the Doctor's straps, Addams hurried over the shook her head, " Just wheel him! "

The other masters in the room were trying to stop them from moving, and as Addams rushed Wilf out of the room, Jack fought off the two Masters who came towards him, shouting at Lily and Rose to run for it.

Rossiter had got hold of the table the Doctor was strapped onto and managed to wheel him to the door, while Jack kept the Masters occupied so he could get out.

Lily was relieved that they were managing to get out, but once Rossiter had wheeled the Doctor out, and she and Rose hurried for the door, one of the Masters got there first and slammed the door, locking it securely.

Lily groaned in frustration but before anyone could do anything, the original Master was getting himself up off the floor.

" Find him! " he screamed at the others, " find him! Don't let the rest of them get away! "

Lily felt someone grabbing her arms and pulling her back and she struggled against them and closed her eyes, trying to forget all the times the actual Master had held her and overpowered he.

Lily watched as the doors were unlocked, and the Master hurried out of them, with a few guards behind him, but she and Rose couldn't go anywhere, with the guards keeping hold of them. Another couple started to try and tie Jack down.

" What do we do now? " Rose asked, shaking her head.

Lily sighed, " I think we've just got to hope that Dad's got something up his sleeve. "

" Any idea what? " Rose asked.

Lily shook her head, " As usual, he's pretty hard to figure out. I think we just have to wait and see what happens now. "

None of them liked the sound of it, but they all knew it was all they could do.

They waited in silence to see what was going to happen next, and a few minutes later, the Master stormed back through the doors. He didn't say a word to any of them, and immediately sat down at his computer - he looked very unimpressed, so Lily could only assume it had not gone well for the Master, and her dad had gotten away.

The Master immediately sat down at a computer and started typing frantlcally.

He looked increasingly unhappy, and as Lily looked over at Rose and Jack in silence, she saw that they too were taking his frustration as a good sign.

After a few minutes of the Master working away frantically at the computer, he mumbled, " They're still up there. Target practise. "

" Up there? " Rose asked, biting her lip.

The Master looked at her with disdain - somehow he didn't like that his old nemsis having turned a human into part time lord. He seemed to see her as inferior, Lily thought.

" Yes," he replied bitterly, " those stupid green people have taken him and the old man on their ship.

Lily eyes widened as she whispered, " And you've got every missile in the world under your control. "

The Master grinned, " Yes, my dear, I have. "

Lily shuddered at his term of affection, but somehow his tone was sweet and indulgent - as if he was talking to a protegee.

" Don't do it," Lily said, " leave him alone. "

The Master chuckled softly, and instead went back to the computers, opening the intercoms and connecting himself to all the important world leaders - or as they had been, before the came versions of him

" Turn everything you've got to the skies! " the Master commanded, " Find me that ship! And prime the missiles. "

Lily moved forwards, and the guards pulled back on her arms so she couldn't move. She whimpered and the Master looked up. He met her eyes and his lips twitched into a smile,

" Let her come over here," he said, " if she's so desperate to see what's going on - she can watch me destroy her precious daddy. "

Lily shook her head, fearful for what was going to happen to her dad, but a little part of her had a feeling he was going to be alright - he had to be. After all, he was always alright, wasn't he.

She took a step forwards and she walked over to stand behind the Master and his computers. When she got there, one of the Master guards reached out to grab her arms and hold her back again, but the Master shook his head.

" She won't be any trouble," said the Master, " she can't do anything. "

Lily sighed, knowing it was probably true. When the Master had turned everyone else into him, he'd had them search Lily, Jack and Rose, and they'd confiscated guns from Jack and Lily, and Lily's laser spanner.

In a slightly more threatening tone, he added, " She's too smart to try anything, anyway. She knows she'll be in trouble if she does. "

" If you touch her, I'll kill you," Jack said seriously, trying to get to Lily's said.

The Master scoffed, " Pipe down, action man. "

Lily looked across at Jack and held her hand up, " I'm fine," she told him, " look at me - I'm fine. " She knew how worried her husband was about her, and she wanted to put his mind at ease.

He nodded, though he obviously wasn't happy.

On the screen, the Master Head of Unit on the screen turned around to the UNIT Masters behind him and commanded, " Open up the radar - maximum scan. " They all replied "yes sir! "

The Master waited impatiently, and Lily bit her lip as she waited too, looking over his shoulder. She was quite relieved that the Master was currently more bothered about finding her dad, than tormenting her.

After a few minutes, he frowned at the computer and demanded, " Have you found them? I need that information! "

One of the guards crossed the room and inspected the computer, before replying, " UNIT have cut the link. No trace - all dead. Still - "

He raised his guns and the others did the same, before one shouted, " Open fire! " and they all shot at the computer. Lily jumped out of her skin as they did so, and she saw the Master looking quite sad a the destruction.

" No way back now," the guard Master said, satisfied, " he's stranded. "

" Stranded? " Rose repeated.

" He must be able to get back? " Jack demanded, thinking of his friend and father-in-law.

The Master sighed, " We have to find him. I want the Doctor. "

Lily sighed, " I want him too. " She glared at the Master, " you'd better have a plan up your sleeve. If he's stuck forever, I'll kill you. If I can't ever see him again ... "

" Lily," Jack said, shaking his head, " as your husband, I'd prefer it if you didn't anger old rivals. "

The Master raised his eyebrows at Lily as he stood up and turned to face her, " You married this freak? "

Lily shook her head, " Not really got anything to do with you, has it? I'll marry who I want. And I _told _you you wouldn't split us up, despite all your efforts. "

The Master rolled his eyes, " I suppose there's always divorce. And of course, if you want to marry someone of proper breeding, and carry on the time lord line - "

" Shut up," Lily snapped.

She had to admit that she was feeling more brave than she ever had with him before, and since he wasn't really trying to hurt her, he was less scary.

" And I'm telling you," she added, " you'd better think of a way to get my dad back, or I'll kill you. "

To her surprise, the Master laughed, looking genuinely amused.

" Fiesty, aren't you? " he asked, shaking his head, before wandering across to the other side of the room, as if contemplating it all. He chuckled to himself, and Lily narrowed her eyes,

" What? " she asked.

He shrugged, " Just thinking. If we'd ever met under different circumstances we could have been ... well, not friends, because I don't have friends, but ... you know. "

Lily scoffed, " I doubt that somehow. "

The Master ignored her and walked across the room. He didn't say anything, and he looked to be very deep in thought. Finally, he looked up, as if a thought had occured to him.

" We listen," he said, looking across the the Naismith Master, " all of us with the same noise in our heads. All across the world, just listen. "

The Master closed his eyes and Lily looked around the room to see all the other Masters doing the same. Lily looked at Jack, and then Rose, to see that they were both looking at the Masters too, trying to figure out what was going on.

" Concentrate," the Master said quietly, " find the signal. "

Lily looked around hopefully, waiting for some kind of information about where her dad was. Her dad was always there, and she didn't know what she'd do without him.

She was terrified about all the prophecy of him dying, and she didn't even want a regeneration from him. She loved her dad's current regeneration exactly as he was.

Moment later, the Master's eyes snapped open and he nodded, " There! The sound is tangible - someone could only have designed this. But who? "

Lily frowned - she'd always thought that the noise the Master ranted about was in his head, but once he'd showed it to she and the Doctor the day before, she'd realised that it was real. She wondered how it had got there.

Surely this prophecy of something returning, and the end of the Doctor, had to be linked to whoever had put a sound into the Master's head - but why would they do that? She frowned in confusion and looked up to see him looking confused to.

He sighed and walked over to the window, hands behind his back as he did so.

" There's a shooting star," he suddenly said, turning around to face his guards, " get out there and find it! "

The guards unlocked the door and ran from the room to follow their orders, but Lily didn't even consider trying to leave and get away. She knew she had to stay where they were - for one thing, they needed to find out what was going on here, but it was becomig more and more clear that something was happening that they needed to get to the bottom. And also, the Doctor would return here at some point, Lily was sure of it.

Lily wondered why he was so bothered about some shooting star, and as she did so, her mind went to her team and friends in Cardiff. She realised that they'd all be turned into the Master too, and hated the thought of that happening to her friends - she was thankful that it hadn't happened to Jack.

She wasn't sure she could have faced the thought of her lovely husband, who'd been so supportive after the Year That Never Was, turning into the Master.

" What's so good about a shooting star? " Rose asked.

Jack frowned, " I was just thinking the same thing. "

The Master rolled his eyes, " Uneducated people. Lily, would you like to explain, my dear? "

Lily was confused by his friendly tone and the way he spoke to her sweetly, and in a friendly manner and she shook her head, " I ... I don't know. Is it ... is it some kind of message? Like a signal? "

The Master shrugged, " I think so. Could be. "

Lily wandered over to the window and watched as the shooting star fell to the ground. Almost as soon as it disappeared out of view, there was a click, and one of the guard's voices came over the intercom.

" It's a diamond! " he informed them all, " Oh sir, the most impossible diamond. You won't believe this ... It's a white point star. "

Lily had heard of a white point star in her stories from her dad about her home planet, but it didn't have the same effect on her that it had on the Master, who threw his head back and laughed in pure joy, tears filling up in his eyes.

" Oh, this is wonderful," the Master grinned, looking at the others.

Lily couldn't quite believe what was going on - this prophecy of someone returning. The Time Lords. She couldn't believe what was happening and she imagined meeting all of her own kind - she knew many had died in the Time War, but those who stayed alive until the final battle had been stuck in a time lock.

Her dad had often told her how the time lords who remained had eventually become bitter and dangerous with the time war going on, and they were not the same people by the end.

Lily tried to imagine them returning. She wondered what her dad would think of it - they were his people, but it they were dangerous, then it was a problem.

" Lily? " Jack asked, waiting for an explanation.

Lily nodded and turned around, telling both he and Rose, " The White Point Star is a diamond that can only be found on Gallifrey. So the only people who can have sent this to earth, are the Time Lords. "

" But the Time Lords are ... " Rose started.

" In a Time Lock," Lily finished, " those who survived, anyway. Those who didn't - " she sighed, " like my mum - "

She frowned, breaking off. When she started thinking about her mum, she didn't quite know what to think. She vaguely remembered her and wish she remembered more about her - wished she'd grown up with her mum the way she had with her dad.

" Well," she continued, after a moment, " anyway, the point is, it has to be the work of the Time Lords. Which means those in the time lock have got a way of getting out of the time lock. And the only way to do that is by using something that was already on the inside. Does that make sense? "

" Sort of," Rose nodded.

The Master chuckled and looked at Lily, " Oh, very good explanation," he said, " you really are your father's daughter, aren't you? Oh, this is my whole life - my whole destiny. "

Jack frowned, " Are the time lords really returning? "

Lily looked at the Master, " Well? "

He smirked as he said, " I'm going to get hold of that white point star, have it brought back here, and it will be mine. They are returning. Our people, Lily. "

" Why are they coming back? " she asked him, realising he was the only person who might know the answers, even if she didn't want to really ask him any questions.

" Why would anyone come back if they'd been locked away? " the Master asked, shaking his head, " if you could escape, you would. "

" So what happens next? " asked Jack.

The Master shrugged, " I don't even know. A first for me, as you'll remember, freak. I usually always have a plan. I have to wait for my men to track down the white point star - they know what it is, by its energies, but they haven't found it yet. "

Rose let out a yawn as she tried to listen to the Master, and the Master smirked, " Yes, it is getting late," he said.

Lily sighed, sitting down on a desk, " I don't suppose there's any chance of us trying to go to sleep? "

The Master shrugged, " If you want. "

Lily nodded. She didn't particularly feel like sleeping but it would certainly be preferable to having to be subjected to conversation with the Master. Silently, she crossed the room, until she was at her husband's side.

The Master didn't say anything about, and Lily sighed as she got to his side. She looked up at him, wishing this whole situation would go away, and Jack smiled a little as if trying to reassure her. She sighed a little and he took hold of her hand silently, looking straight into her eyes.

His thumb passed across her wedding ring and she knew they were in it together - as always.

She curled her fingers around his hand in return, " You ok? " she asked.

" I'm always ok," he replied firmly, squeezing her hand.

Lily smiled and turned to look at Rose, " You ok? "

Rose nodded, moving towards them, " Just wish he was here. "

Lily nodded, thiking about her dad, " He'll be ok. We just have to wait. "

Lily thought they ought to at least make some kind of attempt to go to sleep, since they'd all been up far too long, and Rose looked around the room, and spotted a desk chair. She went to sit in it, and rested her elbows on the desk and her head in her hands, closing her eyes.

Lily could tell from the look on her face that she was thinking about something quite carefully, and knew that she'd be worrying about the Doctor.

Lily looked around the room, and she tugged on Jack's hand, pulling him to the edge of the room, furthest away from the Master. By now, a few of the "Masters" had left the room, and there were only a few left, inclding of course, the original Master.

Lily sunk down onto the floor, pulling Jack with her, and once they were sat down, she smiled a little, realising they were out of sight of the Master now, blocked by a desk and a few chairs.

Lily sighed and shuffled closer to Jack as she rested her back against the wall. She pulled her knees up to her chest, and Jack wanted nothing more than to look ater his beloved wife.

He wrapped his arms around her shoulders and she nestled in close, resting her head against his shoulder.

" This'll all be over soon," Jack mumbled, " I promise. "

" I bloody hope so," Lily sighed.

Jack nodded, " Your dad will be back soon. You know him, he can get out of anything. "

" Hope so," Lily mumbled.

Jack pulled her a little closer, and pressed a kiss to her head, " Don't worry, baby," he mumbled, " please don't worry."

" What about the prophecy? " Lily asked, " he's going to regenerate soon. "

" I'm telling you," Jack whispered, " don't worry. Your dad's strong, and so are you. The Master is going to go away, your dad will come back to us - if he regenerates, we'll deal with that when it happens. Then we're going home. To move into our new home, right? "

" Right," she mumbled. She sighed and closed her eyes as she whispered, " I love you. "

He chuckled softly, " I know. And I love you. Now stop worrying - everything's going to be fine. "

" Well," Lily sighed, " I hope you're right. "

" I usually am," he replied.

She smiled softly and nestled a little closer to her husband, enjoying the warmth that radiated from him, and the feel of his arm around her shoulders. She smiled wider as she felt him pull her a little closer and she sighed and allowed one hand to curl into his greatcoat.

Lily didn't feel like sleeping but she kept her eyes closed and attempted to sleep, all the while thinking about here dad and hoping he was alright, as she felt the rise and fall of Jack's chest beneath her.

She must have fallen asleep at some point, despite all her worries, because a while later - and she didn't know how long it had been - she woke up with a start on hearing the Master's voice, loud and clear.

He was sat at a computer, talking to it. There was a flashing red light next to it, and he was clearly trying to get in touch with the Doctor.

Lily glanced out of the window, and sat that it was getting light again - night had passed, and she must have been asleep for a few hours at least.

She looked at her husband to see he was already awake, just looking down at her, and she smiled briefly. His arms were still wrapped around her, and she looked around to see that Rose was just sitting in the deks chair she'd falen asleep in, her eyes fixed firmly on the Master.

" A star fell from the sky," said the Master, speaking into the computer, in an effort to get in touch with the Doctor. Lily knew that wherever her dad was, he'd be able to hear over this open broadcast, but he wouldn't fall into the trap of replying, and getting himself found.

The Master continued, " It makes sense now, Doctor. The whole of my life, my destiny. The star was a diamond. And the diamond is a white point star. And I have worked all night to sanctify that gift. Now the star is mine. I can increase the signal - and use it as a lifeline. "

Across the room, Lily saw two "masters" who were previously scientists, working on a machine that held the whitepoint star.

The Master, she thought, was clearly trying to goad the Doctor into replying as he said, " D'you get it now? D'you see? Keep watching, Doctor. This should be spectacular. Over and out! "

" What are you up to? " Lily asked, slowly removing Jack's arm from around her shoulders, and getting to her feet.

The Master looked up at her, " Oh, Lily, you're awake. In time to see all the proceedings. "

Lily was confused, and she walked over to the Master. She frowned, wondering what was going on, and she sat down on the edge of his desk, well aware of her husband's eyes on her, watching what she was doing carefully.

Lily wondered what the Master was up to, but she didn't think he was going to do anything to her - she knew he was unpredictable and volitaile, but she thought she was safe for the moment. He barely paid her any attention as she sat on the desk.

" Nuclear bolt accelerating! " one of the scientist Masters said.

The Master nodded, " Send the signal back and the link becomes a pathway. "

The scientist master nodded and slowly placed the diamond into the machine. Lily and the others silently watched the machine power up. As the machine powered up, Lily could hear a noise. It was highpitched, a knocking sound, and she was alarmed to hear the same rhythm of four drum beats that the Master had been plagued by for so long.

Lily's eyes widened and she turned to look at Jack and Rose, who were looking equally alarmed - clearly they could also hear it.

" You can all hear that? " the Master askd, " the endless drums? "

Lily nodded stiffly, and the Master chuckled, " Then we have contact. Gallifrey rises! "

" Stop," Jack said, shaking his head, " whatever you're doing, stop. "

" But they're dead! " Rose said, " or stuck! They can't come back! "

Lily frowned, " Contact? What do you mean, contact? " Thinking about it, she started to mumble to herself, and then realisation hit her. She looked around at Jack and Rose, " Don't you see? It's a time lock - nothing can get in or out except something that was already there. It's him! He's the signal - and the time lords can come back. "

Rose nodded - from what the Doctor had told her, they knew that the time lords couldn't come back.

" You can't do this," Lily said, " you can't bring them back! "

" But they're our people, Lily," the Master said, " they're our people. Wouldn't you want to meet them? To be reunited with your own kind! "

" You can't do it! " Lily insisted, " and he'd tell you the same, wouldn't he - the Doctor, he'd say the same. He's told me enough about them to know that the time war changed them - they're too dangerous. They're not the great species they once were - you can't bring them back! "

" Oh Lily," he said, shaking his head, " why can't you see? This could be great! You really are your father's daughter, aren't you? "

Lily grinned, " But you don't understand about family, do you? Being my father's daughter is just about the best thing I could be. "

The Master rolled his eyes, " Oh dear. He's got you brainwashed, hasn't he? All this love and family stuff. "

Lily shook her head, " You don't understand. Look at what he's got - a daughter, son in law, partner, friends. You could have had all that if you weren't so ... so ... "

She trailed off, not sure how to end, and was interrupted anyway by the voice of one of the Masters on the computer screen.

" He's moving sir! " said one of the voices.

" UNIT," the Master mumbled, moving over to the computer.

" He's moving very fast - we're trying to get a fix on him," said one of the voices.

Lily bit her lip, looking over to Jack, and then to Rose. She was worried abut what they'd try to do to her dad, but she also knew that her dad always found a way out of situations.

Lily could see the Master getting worked up, and as the UNIT Master said, " Awaiting your commands - we can get a fix on him. "

Lily was biting down on her lip so hard she could almost taste the blood, and she watched in horror as the Master said, " I don't need him! Any second now, we'll have time lords to spare. Take him out! Launch the missiles! "

Lily stood up off the desk, " No! " she yelled, " no, you can't do that! "

" It's done," the Master told her, a manic grin on her face.

" You can't _do _that! " she shouted, moving closer to him, " that's my dad - you can't just kill him! You ... you can't kill him! "

The Master laughed, infuritating Lily, and she lunged forwards, unsure of what she was actually going to do. Behind her, she heard Jack telling her to get away from him, and the Master was too quick for her and gripped hold of her wrists firmly.

" Remember who's in charge around here, silly Lily," he said, shaking his head and letting go of her wrists, pushing her away.

Lily sighed and absent mindedly rubbed her wrists, as she thought about her dad. He had to be alright, didn't he? She looked around to see Jack and Rose stood together, both looking equally worried.

Jack frowned at her and gestured for her to come and stand next to him. She crossed the room, whist the Master leaned over his computers, and when she got to Jack's side, he took hold of her hand firmly and looked into her eyes.

" What're you doing? " he hissed, anger reflected in his eyes.

" Trying to make him stop it all," she whispered.

Jack frowned, " I wish you'd behave yourself - stop angering him. You bloody _know _he's dangerous. I don't want anything to happen to you. "

Lily sighed, though his firm grip on her hand didn't loosen, " Jack, I'm fine. He's not thinking about me - it's all about destroying dad, and bringing back the time lords. "

" But what about after that? " Jack asked, well aware of what the Master had planned last time ad all too scared it could happen again.

Lily shook her head, not wanting to think about what he could be planning, " Jack, I'm fine. Let's not argue. "

From the computer, Lily could heard the voice of the UNIT Master, " He's heading straight for you! "

The Master cackled, " Ah but it's too late. " He threw out his arms, " they're coming! "

From the machine, a bright white light was beginning to shine, and the Master laughed harder as he waited. Lily had never been more curious about aything - these were her people - but she was scared about what to expect.

" Our people are coming! " the Master said, hurrying over to Lily, Jack and Rose, and trying tp push Jack out of the way so he could grab hold of Lily. Jack struggled and pushed the Master away, but the Master was determined, and also pushed Rose out of the way when she tried to grab hold of Lily.

" Get off me," Lily hissed as he took hold of her hand - it felt wrong to have another man's hand in her own - any hand that wasn't Jack's big warm hands, or her dad's cool slender hands.

The Master rolled his eyes, dragging her away from Jack and Rose slightly, " Don't be ridiculous," he said, closing his fingers around her hand, " I'm not trying to do anything sinister to you, I just want us to share this moment - our people coming back! "

" Get off me," she sighed, though she didn't make too much of an effort to struggle - she might be scared of what he could do, but for the moment, he wasn't too bad. She didn't want to give him any reason to be angry at her when she knew what he could do - not when he was barely focused on her at the moment.

" Lily," the Master said, turning his face so he was looking into her eyes, " we're the same, you and me. "

" We bloody are not," she insisted.

The Master continued as if she hadn't spoken, " we're the same, and over there - " he gestured into the bright white light, " are our people. Let's witness their return. "

Lily frowned and tried to ignore his touch as she looked into the light - there was nothing she could do right now to stop it, so she might as well watch.

She couldn't really make out any figures, and she had to squint into the light.

Everyone was focused on the light where blurry figures were starting to emerge, and it seemed only one person had remembered that the Doctor was supposed to be heading for them.

" Master, I should warn you - " started the Naismith Master, only to be interrupted by the original Master, who cut him off, " Not now! "

Lily stared into the light, and the figures were becoming to become clearer. Lily was dying to see what would happen, and all of a sudden, there was a loud noise above the ceiling, and everyone looked up to the domed glass ceiling to see the Vinvocci ship flying above it.

Lily was absolutely stunned to see her dad falling from it. She covered her face as he fell through the glass ceiling and she gasped as he landed heavily on the floor.

She threw herself to her knees beside him, but the Master still had hold of her hand, and was pulled forwards with her.

" Dad," Lily breathed, managed to get free of the Master's grip. He was now covered in cuts from the glass ceiling and he laid flat out on his back. On his other side, Rose had thrown herself towards him.

Lily hoped as hard as she could that he was alright, and was relieved when he opened his eyes, though he was wincing through the pain. He held a gun in his hand, and she stared at it, before staring at his face.

" Dad! Tell me you're ok! "

The Doctor groaned and started to sit up, " Never mind that. You two, and you Jack, you're all alright? " He added a glare at the Master as he said it, and the Master held up his hands innocently.

" I've actually got things beside your beautiful daughter on my mind," the Master said, making Jack growl and step forwards.

The Doctor slowly got to his feet and for the first time, they could all see the time lords.

Lily could do nothing but stare - they were all dressed in long ceremonial red robes, edged with gold, and the all looked full of grandeur and splendour.

She was aware of her dad saying something, and he had to repeat it to pull her out of her trance, " Lily," he said impatiently, and when she looked him, she could tell he was full of pain at the thought of what was going on.

" Sorry, Daddy, what? "

He rolled his eyes, " Darling," he mumbled, " I said stay close to me, where I can keep an eye on you. "

The Doctor had also wanted to keep hold of Rose, but knew Rose wouldn't do anything unpredictable, and was probably best standing safe by Jack's side. He didn't, however, trust Lily not to try and do anything rashly, and knew the best place for her was at his side.

The time lord dressed in the finest robes, Lily supposed, from her dad's stories, to be the president.

The Lord President walked forwards, " My Lord Doctor. My Lady, the Doctor's daughter - "

Lily had no time lord title of her own, as the time war had interrupted her schooling, and stopped her leaving, and taking a title, and as such she would officialy be known by the title of her father.

" My Lord Master," the Lord President added, " we are gathered for the end. "

Beside her, Lily's father was breathing deeply, and his suit was in tatters, his face cut and bleeding. " Listen to me! " the Doctor said, shaking his head desperately, " you can't! "

The President laughed, and the other time lords behind him smirked too. There were many of them, all gathered together, and Lily assumed they were the Time Lord Council - the only people who had been stuck in the time lock. The only ones who hadn't died.

" It is a fitting paradox that our salvation comes at the hands of our most infamous child," the President said.

The Doctor shook his head, " Don't you see what he's doing? He's not saving you. "

The Master held up his hands, " Hey, no Doctor, no. That's mine to tell. " He held out his hands, " Look around, President. I've transplanted myself into every human being. Well, except, that freak over there, and the half-human, half time lord, but who cares about them? But who wants a mongrel little species like them? Because now I can transplant myself into every single time lord. "

The Lord President took a deep breath, and the Master continued, " Oh yes, Mr President, sir! Standing there all noble and resplendant and decrepit. Think how much better you're going to look as me. "

The Lord President simply shook his head and clicked his hand.

The smile slid straight from the Master's face, and the Lord President opened his hand, which began to glow blue. Lily looked around in awe, as the Masters in the room who were not the original Master, started flicking their heads from side to side wildly.

The Master started to scream his protests like a child having a tantrum, and he and the President glared at each other.

The Masters turned back into themselves, and all looked around in confusion. Lily was surprised to feel her dad's hand gripping her arm, and she realised he was scared. Which meant she should be too.

Rose and Jack looked equally worried and scared, and they too were clutching each other.

" On your knees mankind! " the Lord President roared - and then watched as everyone obediently fell to their knees.

Lily saw Rose and Jack look at each other in confusion, and they settled for obeying.

Lily wasn't sure what to do, but she kept hold of her dad as he held her.

" I ... I saved you," the Master said, seeming scared too, " don't forget that. "

The ground beneath them seemed to be shaking, and Lily had a very bad feeling about where this was going. She thought she knew was it was building up to, but it couldn't possibly ... could it?

" The approach begins! " the Lord President proudly announced.

" The approach of what? " whispered the Master to the Doctor, like a child.

The Doctor spoke through clenched teeth and was clearly frightened, " Something is returning - don't you ever listen? " the said, glaring at the Master, " that was the prophecy - not someone, something! "

" What is it? " the Master asked urgently.

" They're not just bringing back the species," the Doctor said, shaking his head, " it's Gallifrey! They're bringing Gallifrey here, right now! "

The ground was still shaking, and things around them started to fall. The humans in the room started to flee, and though the time lords who had returned looked triumphant, the Doctor did not.

He groaned in pain and as the ground shook again, he was thrown to the floor, pulling his daughter with him. The Doctor groaned and stayed on the floor, reaching out to pull Lily closer to him.

Near them, the Master dropped to his knees too, though his face was alight with victory.

" Aha! " the blonde time lord said in delight, " I did this! I get the credit - I'm on your side! "

There was one last shake, and as she looked out of the window, Lily saw that the sky was dark, and there was a bright orange ball out there. She couldn't see much of it, but she knew it was Gallifrey.

The few humans remaining in the room - except Jack - fled the room, at the same time that Wilf came running into the room. Lily had to admit that she'd forgotten about him.

As he came into the room, the old man was about to go over to the Doctor, but stopped when he heard a pounding. They all heard it, and Lily saw it a scientist in a white lab coat standing in one of the radiation booths.

" Let me out of here! " the scientist demanded.

" Alright," Wilf nodded, going towards the booth, " quick - somebody, please. "

" Don't! " Lily and her dad warned at the same time.

Wilf didn't listen, and went into the box, hitting a button which locked the door Wilf was in, and let out the scientist. Lily turned to stare at her dad, and she saw him drop his head helplessly, tears in his eyes.

Seeing her so desperate made her feel terrible too, and she turned around to look at Jack. Jack looked from Lily to the radiation booth, and back again.

She nodded, aware of the dangers, but not knowing what they could do now.

" This is fantastic, isn't it? " the Master asked, " time lords restored. "

The Doctor glared coldly and spoke bitterly, " You weren't there in the final days of the war. You never saw what was born. But if the Time Lock's broken, then everything is coming through. Not just the Daleks, but the Star of Degredation, the Horde of Travesties, the Nightmare Child - the war turning into hell! "

The Master slowly stood up, and the Doctor shook his head, " That's what you've opened, right above earth. Hell is descending. "

Lily thoughts flickered to her friends - Owen and Tosh, Ianto, even Gwen, Rhys and their unborn child. She hoped they were all alright.

" My kind of world," smirked the Master.

" You don't understand! " the Doctor roared, " even the time lords can't survive all that! "

The Lord President smirked, interrupting, " The end of time will come at my hand! The rupture will continue until it rips the time vortex apart! "

" That's suicide! " the Master said sharply, as Lily's eyes widened, starting to realise that the time lords were truly trouble - they were going to be in serious danger here.

" We will ascend," the Lord President continued, " to become creatures of consciousness alone. Free of these bodies. Free of the time and cause and effect. And where creation itself ceases to be. "

Lily took one look at her father's face and understood. He'd worked so hard to stop them during the war, but it had all gone to waste.

" You see now? " the Doctor asked the Master, trying to make him understand, and his fingers tightening around Lily's arm, " that's what they were planning in the final days of the war. I had to stop them! "

He slowly got to his feet, and Lily did too. Her dad let go of her had and she knew he must be planning something. He leaned in and took advantage of the Master and the Lord President looking at each other.

" Go over there," he said, nodding towards Jack, " it's safer out of the way. "

Lily wondered what was going on, but knew she ought to obey her dad - he usually knew what was best. She slowly moved over to Jack and Rose, who had also stood up by now, and she could feel Jack's relief as she stood in front of him, and he rested one hand on her hip.

" Take me with you," the Master pleaded, " Lord President, let me ascend into glory. "

The Lord President simply scoffed, " You are diseased! No more! "

Lily watched in horror as the Lord President raised his hand in threat towards the Master, as if he were going to destroy him. She wasn't sure why she was so filled with horror - the Master was evil, and there was a time when she'd wanted to kill him herself.

Maybe, she supposed, she was so horrified at the thought of the time lords killing him, because they were the ones who had driven him crazy by putting the drum rhythm into his head.

She waited with bated breath to see what would happen, and was even more surprised when her dad raised the gun in his hand, and pointed it straight at the Lord President.

" Dad," she mumbled, shaking her head, " dad! What're you doing? "

" Doctor," Rose mumbled, taking a step forward, " Doctor, this isn't you! "

Jack and Wilf both watched with horrified expressions, and the Master watched in confusion .

" Choose your enemy well," the Lord President said, " We are many, but the Master is one. "

The Master smirked, " But he's the President! Kill him and Gallifrey could be yours! Just think Doctor - all the old palaces of Gallifrey, all the best buildings, you could have them all rebuilt and give your daughter everything you possibly can. That's what all Dads want to do, isn't it? And you could make a great planet for her - and for your half-human girlfriend over there. Just kill him, take control. "

The Doctor suddenly turned to point the gun at the Master silently, and Lily frowned, wondering what was going to happen now. She knew exactly what her dad must be thinking. But she knew - she just knew he wouldn't do it.

The Mater shook his head, panicking, " He's to blame. Not me! " Realising, he frowned, " Oh. The link is in my head - kill me, the link gets broken, they go back. "

Lily watched her dad's face full of tension, and he and the Master stared at each other.

Lily was sure he wouldn't do it, but there was a long pause. She knew that Rose and Jack must be having similar thoughts.

" Go on then! " the Master taunted after a long pause, " do it! "

Lily swore she saw the Doctor's finger shift slightly on the trigger, and the Master's head shook ever so slightly, eyes wide in fear. Then, she saw the Doctor turn around and point his gun at the Lord President again.

" Yes! " the Master said triumphantly, " exactly! He's the link - it's him not me. "

The Lord President sneered, " Ah Doctor, the final act of your life is murder, but which one will it be? "

Lily was still adamant that her dad wouldn't kill either of them. She was sure he'd have some other way out, even if she wasn't sure what it could possibly be. On her hip, she felt Jack's hand tighten a little, as if he was worrying about what would happen.

They watched helplessly, and from inside the glass case, Wilf also watched helplessly.

The Doctor looked between the Master and the Lord President, backed by the other time lords, with indecision. Then for the first time, his expression changed - anger and bitterness became sadness and regret.

Lily followed his line of vision and saw a short plump woman with dark hair. She wondered who the woman was, but the look on her dad's face told her that this other woman was significant to him.

All of a sudden, he turned around again, pointing it at the Master. The Master shook his head, looking terrified, and Lily found herself stepping forwards.

" Dad," she said, shaking her head, " Dad, don't kill him. "

Both the Doctor and the Master turned to stare at her. The Master raised his eyebrows, " Lily? Why ... _why _are you defending me? "

Lily shook her head, " It's hard to explain," she said, " but it just feels _wrong_ to kill you. It's so wrong for you to die when _they _were the ones who put the drum beats in your head. Yes, you're insane, and you've tried to take over the world, and generally do harm to us all, but it doesn't mean we have to commit murder for you. Not when your whole life was manipulated by _them. _Not when it could have been different if they hadn't done that to you. So yes, you've done wrong, God knows how much you hurt me. And I'll never forgive you for that, but we won't become murderers for you. "

The Master looked a little impressed at her words and he nodded, " Well," he said, " I suppose I should be thanking you. "

The Doctor looked a little pleased at the way his daughter stood up for people, even if they were evil people. But the way he was looking at her, told her that there was something else going on in his mind. Suddenly, she had the feeling that he already had a plan.

" Get out of the way," he told the Master.

The Master immediately dived to the left, and the Doctor fired a shot into the machine that produces the link that brought the Time Lords to earth. The machine exploded in a ball of fire.

The Doctor grined and looked back at his companions, who were all also grinning as they realised it might be over.

" The link is broken! " the Doctor declared, " Back into the Time War, Rassilon! Back to Hell! "

The Lord President shook his head, face full of anger, " You die with me Doctor, for ruining my chances! "

" No! " Lily cried out, stepping forwards.

The Doctor, however, seemed calm, " I know. "

" No! " Rose and Lily chorused, while Jack seemed to be more trusting of the Doctor, and was struggling to keep Rose held back. Lily was too far away from him, and Jack watched as she tried to move towards her dad.

The Lord President raised his glove and the glove glowed menacingly, as the planet Gallifrey outside began to be pulled away. Lily wasn't sure what she was going to do, but she felt like she had to do something.

She ran towards her dad, but as she did so, she felt someone drag her backwards, and was surprised to look up and see the Master.

" What're you doing? " she demanded.

Only, when she looked into his face, the expression there was odd. He was planning something, but he'd pulled her out of the way ... for her own good, she thought. Could he possibly have done somehting nice for her?

" I'm protecting you, silly Lily," he said, rolling his eyes.

" They're going to kill my dad! " she shouted, " get out of the way! "

The Master put both of his hands on her shoulders and he shook his head. She saw an expression there she'd never seen before - it was almost tender, almost like he cared, and she wouldn't have thought him capable of that.

" They're not," the Master told her, " trust me, stay out of the way, I'll take care of it. "

" _What? _Why would I trust you? "

The Master looked over his shoulder to see that the power in the Lord President's glove was almost finished building up, " I'm going to save him. "

Then, he shocked her by reaching out and laying her hand on his cheek. She grimaced, but she managed to not pull away. If he was going to save her dad, she'd better not anger him.

He leaned in and planted a very light kiss on her cheek, then allowing his lips to hover by her lips.

" I'm sorry," he whispered, " for everything. "

She'd barely registered his words or his touch, and stood rooted to the spot with shock - had he really just apologised? She couldn't believe it, and she wondered how genuine it was. It wasn't like him to apologise.

As quickly as he'd appeared in front of her and told her to stay out of the way, he was then behind the Doctor, rubbing his hands together.

" Get out of the way! " he roared at the Doctor.

Lily glanced over at her husband, who was still struggling to keep Rose from charging into the middle of it all, and had his eyes fixed firmly on her.

He was frowning, and she knew he must be worried about whatever the Master had just said to her.

" You okay?" he mouthed to her from across the room.

She nodded, but didn't take his eyes from him.

She noticed Jack look over to the Master, glaring furiously, and then back at her again, and she knew he was debating going over and hitting the Master for daring to touch Lily, let alone kiss her cheek and whisper in her ear.

" Don't" she mouthed.

" What was that?" he mouthed in return.

"Later" she replied, shaking her head.

Jack was still frowning, but he seemed satisfied that Lily was in no immediate danger.

There wasa flash of light from behind them, and Lily quickly turned around to see the Master firing a lightening bolt out of his hands. The power hit the Lord President straight in the chest, in the same way the Master had earlier fired one at the Doctor in the wasteland.

The Lord President staggered backwards in pain, and all eyes were on the Master.

" You did this to me! All of my life! " the Master roared, firing another bolt at the Lord President, " You made me! One! Two! Three! Four! "

With every number he counted, he fires off another bolt, and his skeleton flashed into view as he did so. With each bolt he fired, the time lords moved back into the white light, and the bright white light filled the room.

Lily squinted as the light filled the room, and as the light started to fade, the time lords from the time lock, and the Master, were all pulled back into the white light.

When the light had disappeared, they were all gone.

Lily was so relieved that everything was alright - the Master had been their original problem, and now he was gone. In fact, he'd sacrificed himself to save the Doctor - he'd sent himself back into the time lock.

She supposed there must be some small part of humanity left within him, for him to apologise to her, and to stop the Lord President from killing the Doctor.

" Dad," Lily mumbled, stepping closer to him.

He sighed and reached out for her, pulling her into the tightest hug possible. He was gasping for breath, and she'd never seen him looking this emotional before. He kissed the top of her head, and hugged her tightly.

Once he'd hugged her, Rose immediately threw herself into his arms, and Lily wandered over to her husband. He looked at her with a strange expression - a mixture of relief, happiness, and confusion.

" Didn't I tell you it would all work out? " Jack asked, raising his eyebrows.

She nodded, " Yes. Yes you did. "

" So," he said, with a cheeky grin, " what we've learnt from this, is what you should always listen to your charming, handsome, intelligent husband? "

She rolled her eyes, " I'm so glad everything's going to be alright," she sighed.

Jack grinned, " C'mere," he mumbled, reaching out and wrapping his arm around her waist. He pulled her in for a big warm hug, and when they slowly broke apart, he leaned down and planted a kiss on her lips. It was a soft kiss, but conveyed all of their relief that they were safe.

Lily turned around to face her dad and Rose, and felt Jack's hands resting on her hips as he stood behind her. She relaxed against him slightly and felt comforted by the fact that Jack was there for her.

" I'm alive," the Doctor breathed in disbelief. " I'm alive."

A silence followed his words as they sunk in, but the silence was broken by four sharp knocks.

Lily felt her entire body clench up with tension, and her heart sunk as she realised that this was it. She'd managed to forget about the prophecy of the Doctor's regeneration, with everything else that had happened.

Now she remembered it, she hated the thought of it. She knew that this meant his regeneration, and she hated it. She couldn't believe it would happen, and she just wanted her dad to remain exactly how he was. She'd loved this incarnation of him more than any other before, and she couldn't imagine him changing now.

As the knocking continued, she turned to see Wilf, still in the glass Vincocci radiation box. They'd all forgotten about him but now he needed letting out.

And Lily knew that the box was filled with radiation, and Wilf would die. Except, she thought, the Doctor would never allow it to happen, and he'd take his place.

Lily didn't want that for her dad, and she was already considering doing it instead. She was younger than him - she had more regenerations left, after all. But deep down, she knew her dad would never let her sacrifice herself for him, and she also knew if there was a prophecy, nothing would be able to stop it.

Wilf knocked four more times, and Lily swallowed hard. One glance at Jack, Rose, then the Doctor, told her that they all knew what this meant.

**Author's Note: The next chapter will be the Doctor's regeneration. I was going to put it in this chapter but this chapter seems to have gone on forever, so it'll be up next, and then will be followed by the Doctor's first encounter with Amy and Rory.**


	24. Regeneration

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

Chapter Twenty-Four

From inside the box, Wilf banged on the glass again, and called, " If you could, er, let me out, Doctor? Or anybody? "

The Doctor sighed, nodding sadly, " Yeah. "

Wilf looked very relieved, " I mean, erm, this thing seems to be making a lot of noise. "

The Doctor sighed, and Lily could see he was resigning himself to it as he said, " The Master ... he left the nuclear bolt running. It's gone into overload. "

" And that's bad, is it? " asked Wilf, nervously.

" No," said Rose, showing off her half-time lord brain, " all the excess radiation gets vented into that glass box. Vinvocci glass contains it. All 50,000 rads flood into that two part box. "

" Well, I suppose someone should let me out then," Wilf said.

Still with his hands on his wife's waist, as she stood in front of him, Jack leaned down to mumble in Lily's ear. " Someone's going to have to die, aren't they? " he whispered.

Lily bit down on her lip, " I ... yeah," she whispered.

Jack nodded, and Lily knew that Jack was already thinking about taking over the Doctor's fate - after all, he couldn't die. Maybe he could do it instead. She had to admit the thought had briefly crossed her mind too, but if a prophecy had been made, she wasn't sure if anything would change it.

" It's gone critical," said the Doctor bitterly.

Wilf's face fell, and the Doctor added, " Touch one control and that whole box floods with radiation. Even my trusted sonic screwdriver would set it off. "

Wilf sighed, shaking his head helplessly, " I'm sorry. Look, just leave me. "

Lily had barely even thought of the possibility that Wilf would be left in the box to die. She knew that no-body would allow him to stay in the box and be killed - it was not in the nature of any of them to allow someone to die if they could do something about it, even if it meant sacrificing themselves.

The Doctor looked pretty angry as he said, " Okay then, right, I will. Cause you had to go in there, didn't you? You had to go get stuck! Because that's who you are, Wilf. You were always this. You were waiting for me. "

" Just leave me," Wilf insisted, " I'm an old man, Doctor. I've had my time. You've got a family who still need you. "

Lily's heart started to break as she saw her dad's eyes filling with tears - he looked devastated at the thought of what was to come. Rose was also standing nearby helplessly, and the two women exchanged a look - neither of them quite knew that to do.

The Doctor sighed, " I could do so much more, with this body," he said, " so much more, but this is what I get. It's just not fair. "

He ran his hands through his hair, clutching desperately at it as he sighed, " I've lived too long ... seen too much. "

" Dad! " Lily said, her own eyes filling with tears as she thought about the possibility of her dad's regeneration. She loved her dad to pieces and she knew that a regeneration was essentially a death.

" I've got to do this," the Doctor said, slowly starting to cross the room.

" No," Rose breathed, " darling, you don't have to do this. There must be another way out. "

The Doctor met her eyes, and shook his head. He sighed and stepped back towards her. He reached out and took Rose's face in his hands and planted a kiss on her lips. Lily found herself feeling very happy for the pair of them - after all, they were, like she and Jack, a couple who thought they weren't ever going to get to find each other again.

When the Doctor broke the kiss, he slipped out of Rose's grasp. He turned abck towards the glass box and spared a glance for Jack and Lily but it seemed as if he couldn't say anything to them, so he just lookd at the box.

.As he stretched his hand out towards the silver handle, Wilf shook his head, " No, No, please don't! Don't do it! I've told you - I'm an old man! "

" Dad! Wait! " Lily said, moving forwards, slipping through Jack's hands.

The Doctor turned around to look at her, " Darling, I can't face this. Don't ... don't make me say anything. I just want to get it over with. "

Lily could feel ehr eyes welling up with tears and she shook her head, " I don't want you to regenerate. You ... I don't want to lose you. "

She knew she'd still have her dad, but it would be a different incarnation, and it meant getting to know a completely different personality, and essentially a new man. Somehow this felt different from ever other time he'd regenerated.

Maybe it was because so much trauma had happened in her life recently, and she couldn't face a new dad on top of all of that.

The look on her dad's face told her that he didn't want to regenerate either. He knew that there must be some kind of limit on regenerations, and he seemed to get through his particularly quickly.

The Doctor shook his head at her, " Someone's got to save him. "

" I know," she nodded, " I know. " She knew perfectly well that her dad wouldn't leave anyone she could save, to die. And she knew that because she'd been brought up exactly the same, and she'd save him too.

" Lily," Jack cut in, his voice full of warning - he knew exactly what she was about to do.

Lily added, " But let me do it. "

The time lord's face flickered with disbelief, " Tell me you _didn't _just say that. "

Lily shrugged, " You want to save him - why can't I want to save him too? "

The Doctor looked over his daughter's head to her husband, " Are you listening to this? " he asked Jack, " got anything to say about it? "

" Lily, don't be so bloody stupid," Jack said, stepping forward.

" I _beg _your pardon? "

" You're not doing it," Jack said firmly. He thought it was madness and he was completely unhappy with it, but before he had time to voice any more of his feelings, the Doctor was looking at Lily again.

" I'm not letting you go in there and give up your life. I'll do it. You're younger than me, and after everything you've gone through recently, this is the last thing you need. You only just regenerated, a few months back. I'm doing this," the Doctor said.

Lily bit her lip, " Dad, I really don't want to lose you. "

Jack's jaw set in determination, although no-one noticed him.

" Me neither! " Rose called out, half heartedly.

Lily couldn't help but think Rose seemed to be taking it a bit better than she was, but she thought maybe it was down to the fact that the Doctor and Rose travelled around constantly, and they'd all known about the prophecy for a while - maybe she'd come to terms with it. Or maybe it hadn't sunk in yet.

The Doctor nodded, compassion for his daughter etched across his face, " Darling I know. " He reached out and brushed some of her hair behind her ear, " but you'll still have me, and you can't possibly understand until you _are _a parent, but when you are, you'll know that you do anything to protect your kids, and you certainly _don't _let them go into a dangerous situation, when you could take their place. "

Lily sighed heavily but didn't argue, and the Doctor took this as a sign of her acceptance, even if she didn't look very happy about it.

He leaned in a planted a kiss on her forehead, before letting go of her.

" Doctor," Jack said, turning his back on them all and looking at the box, " I'll do it. "

" Oh, for God's sake," the Doctor said, shaking his head, " don't make me argue with _you_, too. "

" I can't die," Jack pointed out," If I go in there, we don't have a problem. I just soak up all the radiation, come back to life. "

Lily had to admit it made sense. She'd never suggest that Jack die for anyone, but now he'd suggested it, it was an easy solution.

The Doctor seemed to consider it for a moment, but then he shook his head, " You can't do it," he said.

Jack rolled his eyes, " Why not? " he asked, and Lily had to admit she didn't understand why her dad wouldn't allow it.

The Doctor didn't respond immediately, and Jack decided he'd had enough of talking about it. He turned his back on them again, and moved towards the glass box.

He stroke towards it, and had got his hand on the handle when the Doctor shouted, " Jack! No! "

Jack stopped still, " I'm doing this. "

His hand closed around the handle of the booth, and Lily watched in surprise and confusion as her dad ran across the short distance between them, grabbed the back of Jack's coat and pulled him away.

" What the hell are you doing? " Jack demanded, glaring at his father in law as he turned around, " I'm doing this to save you! I can't die! "

" You are not doing this! " the Doctor said through gritted teeth, " why are you so stubborn? "

" Why are _you_? "

" Guys," Lily said in a small voice, " someone needs to let Wilf out soon. "

Jack nodded and turned back to the glass box, and the Doctor reached out, as quick as a flash, and grabbed Jack by the shoulders, pulling him towards him firmly, and pinning him up against the side of the box.

" Jack," the Doctor said, " you're not doing this. Please just listen to me. It's the best for you both. "

Jack shook his head, while both he and Lily continued to be confused by the situation, " I can't die, Doctor. You know that. And don't give me all this stuff about "protecting your kids" - that's fine for Lily, but I'm not the same. I won't die. "

The Doctor's lips twitched into a smile, as he said, " If i let go of you, will you hear me out? "

Jack nodded slightly, and the Doctor let go of him.

" My protests, Jack, weren't about you being my son in law, and therefore me having to protect you. I ... "

Lily suddenly thought her dad looked uncomfortable, and she said, " What's up dad? Just tell us why you're going to have to die, when Jack could do it in your place easily enough. "

" Do you have any idea how much radiation is in there? " the Doctor finally said, his eyes fixed on Jack.

" Um ... a lot? " Jack suggested.

" A _hell _of a lot," the Doctor said seriously, " and do you have any idea how much radiation you soaked up at Thames House three months ago? "

Jack shrugged, " Um ... a lot _more_? "

The Doctor nodded, " The kind of radiation you soaked up all three or four months ago, in combination with the kind of radiation you'd soak up in there ... it's too much for your body, Jack. Two massive loads of radiation soaked through your body in only a couple of months does things to your ... um ... body ... that you don't want. So you can't do this. "

This sounded like am ambigous explanation and Lily shook her head, " Are you saying he won't come back to life? " she asked, reaching out for Jack's hand and grasping it tightly.

The Doctor pulled a face, " Um, no, I think you'd come back to life," he said, looking quite awkward, and glancing back to the glass box as if he just wanted to get on with it.

" Then what? "

The Doctor sighed, " I think you'd be sterile, Jack," he blurted out, before turning an odd shade of red, at the thought of discussing his daughter's possibilites of having children.

The words hit Lily hard, and she gripped Jack's hand tighter.

After her miscarriage a few months ago, she'd been devastated and it had made her realise that she had wanted her own children, and she would love to have children. Not right now, but she wanted children at some point. She knew there where other ways to have children, but she wanted her own.

The Doctor knew only too well that his daughter had been devastated, and he knew exactly how much she'd decided she wanted a family. His own daughter was the biggest gift he'd ever been given, and he couldn't imagine not being able to have children - he could certainly never want his daughter to not be able to have the gift he'd had.

" Oh," Jack mumbled, images of sons and daughters looking like he and his wife, passing in front of his eyes.

" Yeah," the Doctor nodded, " oh. I'm not going to let you go into that radiation filled booth, if I think it will take away your chances of having a child, Jack. I ... I won't do that to you both. "

Jack nodded, and the Doctor looked back at Lily. Lily swallowed, " He'd really ... he'd really be ... sterile, if ... if ... "

The Doctor sighed, " Darling, I don't know for certain, but I've got a strong suspicion. That radiation, combined with the radiation from Thames House ... I won't risk you being able to have children. I ... I know it's something you want. "

" But ... but won't you be ... you know ... then? " Lily said, shaking her head.

The Doctor pulled a face, " I don't think that radiation on its own is enough, but combined with what he already took in. Look, I know, he dies, but the radiation still affects his body somehow. " He sighed, " And what does is matter if it _does _damage me? I've already _got _you."

Lily was thinking about Rose, but she didn't want to voice it - she didn't know how far her father and Rose's relationship would go, and she certainly didn't want to think about _that _aspect of it. She glanced over at Rose to see a strange expression on her face - it was half sympathy for Jack and Lily, and sorrow for the Doctor, and also some kind of longing.

" Dad," Lily sighed, not sure what she was about to say.

The Doctor interrupted her, " Don't worry. The prophecy ... this was always the way it was meant to be. But I do appreciate that you both tried to step in. Jack ... have I convinced you? "

Jack nodded vigorously.

He felt guilty about watching his wife's father, who she loved so much, give up one of his lives, but he couldn't be sterile.

The thought of not being able to give Lily her own children - the thought that he could let down Lily, killed him. He'd made so many promises after their falling out and reunion a few months ago, and he couldn't face letting her down after he'd promised so hard to love and give her everything he possibly could.

He still couldn't quite shake the feeling of guilt, but he knew the Doctor would never have allowed him to go in there.

The Doctor sighed heavily and then turned back to the glass box.

A tear fell down Lily's cheek at the sacrifice her dad was making. He was sacrificing one of his regenerations so that her husband would be able to give her children of their own. She had just realised the huge sacrifice he was making on her behalf, and Jack wrapped his arm around her waist.

" He just," Lily started, another tear falling, " he's ... he's doing that for us. "

Jack nodded, " He really is a great man. " He dropped his lips to her cheek and planted a kiss there, before whispering, " he knows how devastated we'd be if I couldn't give you children of our own. He ... God, I love your dad. "

Lily nodded, her eyes fixed on her dad, and feeling extremely grateful, but extremely sad too.

" Wilf," he said, " it's my honour. Now... we'd better be quick. "

She bit down on her lip with nerves as she watched the Doctor open the door and step inside the booth that Wilf wasn't in. He quickly pressed the button to release Wilf, therefore locking himself in.

Wilf rushed out of the box, and the light in the Doctor's box turned from green to red. Lily winced as her dad groaned and fell to his knees, clearly in pain. He looked to be clenching his teeth, as he slowly sat down on the box, running his hands through his hair.

" What's going on? " Wilf asked, looking around at Lily's tear stained face, Jack's frozen, sad expression and Rose's mixture of shock and sadness.

Jack shook his head, " It's ... it's the radiation. "

Lily wished it would just all be over, and she watched as the lights suddenly went out. She felt Rose moving closer to her, and she reached out and Lily reached out and took hold of Rose's hand.

She was suddenly reminded that although Rose had grown a lot since she first became the Doctor's companion, she was still essentially the same person. And Lily was reminded that they'd been friends when they started out - and Rose had been so young, the pair of them as thick as thieves when the Doctor wasn't looking, always wandering off when they were told to stay in one place.

Lily squeezed Rose's hand, and Rose squeezed back. It seemed that Rose needed the support of her friends, and Lily was only too glad to lend it.

All the light went out, and the power died down.

The Doctor was burying his head in his hands and Lily was leaning against Jack heavily, hardly able to watch her dad in such a state. Jack was rubbing at her waist a little, knowing that she'd struggle through this, and feeling sorry for his friend too.

" Doctor? " Rose called out after a few moments.

The Doctor slowly lifted his head up on hearing his lover's voice, but his hands still covered his face.

" You still with us? " Wilf asked carefully, while Lily was biting so hard on her lip with nerves, that she could taste her own blood.

The Doctor started to get to his feet, looking completely drained.

" Doctor! " Rose shouted, worried.

The Doctor looked over at them with an eerily calm expression, " Rose ... " he said, his voice coming out sounding very tired and weary, " Rosie, I'm ... it's going to be ok. " To Wilf, he added, " System's dead. I absorbed it all. Whole thing's kaput. "

He pressed the button to let himself back into the room and he moved his head from side to side looking aggravated as he said, " Oh yeah! Yes, now it's starting. "

Rose moved forwards, letting go of Lily's hand, as Wilf said, " Well, there w are the. Safe and sound! Mind you, you're in one hell of a state, all your battle scars. "

Lily sighed - clearly all their fussing about who was going to go into the box had been missed by Wilf - he didn't understand what was going on here.

Lily watched her dad run his hands down his face, and when he did so, the cuts he'd acquired when falling through the ceiling, had gone. She took a deep breath, trying to come to terms with it.

" Doctor," Rose mumbled, moving forward again, until she was standing in front of him. Lily watched as Rose reached out and grabbed hold of his jacket, pulling him forward by the lapels of his blazer, " Doctor, don't go. "

As the Doctor leaned down and captured Rose's lips with his own, Lily thought that they were truly perfect for each other. She smiled a little to herself, though her eyes were filled with tears.

Jack's arm was strong around her waist, and she was grateful for it.

When Rose and the Doctor broke apart, Wilf looked at the Doctor's face properly, and his own face contorted in disbelief.

" But they've ... your face! How did you do that? "

Rose backed away a little to give him some more space, and the Doctor's voice was soft as he mumbled, " It's starting. "

Wilf started to sob a little, and Lily couldn't believe any of this was happening. She moved forwards a little, and Jack's arm around her waist relaxed, as he sensed she wanted to move forwards.

Her dad looked so lost and lonely as Wilf hugged him, and Lily walked forwards. Wilf moved out of the way for her, and Rose didn't seem to know what to say.

The Dcotor shook his head, as his daughter approached, and when she stopped in front of him, he swallowed hard.

" Don't," he said, shaking his head, " don't? "

" Don't? " she echoed, frowning.

" Don't say goodbye, or say anything, or ... don't," he said, " it's all going to be ok. I'll still be here. Just ... different. "

Lily nodded, " Then don't _you _look so sad and lonely. You've got me, Jack, Rose. You've got friends all over the planet, Dad. "

The Doctor nodded, and from the tears in his eyes, Lily knew he was unable to speak. She simply nodded and he smiled, " That's my girl. " He ran his hands through his hair and took a deep breath, " come on, you lot, we need to get back to the TARDIS. "

They walked to the TARDIS in silence, and as they did so, the Doctor held out his hand to Rose, who took it, tears in her own eyes. Wilf walked on the Doctor's other side, clearly unable to believe everything that was happening.

Behind them, Lily and Jack walked. Jack had taken hold of her hand while they walked, and her fingers had automatically laced through his, able to feel his wedding ring against her skin.

When they got into the TARDIS, the Doctor looked around the room, a look of devastation across his features.

" Let's take you home, Wilfred Mott," he said, after a long pause, very slowly reaching out for the controls.

The TARDIS took flight, and before long, they had landed again. Wilf and the Doctor left the TARDIS, but no-one else did.

" What happens now? " Lily asked her husand, shaking her head.

" Baby," he said, shaking his own head, " you ... you know what happens next. "

Lily sighed, " I know. Jack, I know, I just ... I don't want to deal with this. Just ... after the baby, and me and you, and the Master, and now this ... how much am I expected to deal with? It's a whole new dad, and it's all ... having to get to know a new personality, and ... I was so comfortable with who he was. How much is going to get thrown at me? "

Rose wasn't quite sure what to say as she smiled sadly at her friend, and some of the same thoughts were running through her own mind.

Rose, however, was unsurpised to see that Jack knew exactly how to deal with it.

" Lily," he said, his voice serious as he turned so he was stood in front of her, inches away. " Lily, listen to me. "

She sighed and silently met his eyes.

Jack rested his hands on her shoulders, as he said, " _You _are the strongest woman I know ... you're the strongest _person _I know. It doesn't matter how much gets thrown at us, one thing after another, after another, we deal with it, and we'll deal with this. You've come through much worse than this. Yeah? "

Lily nodded, grateful that Jack was always there for her.

She sighed, " Why is it always _you _convicing _me _that everything's going to be alright? "

Jack smiled fondly, thinking about all the time she'd been there to push the Torchwood team something, and she'd led, and she'd kept him going, " It's not," he said.

They looked into each others eyes for a few moments, until finally Lily nodded, and Jack's hands were removed from her shoulders, though he took hold of her hand.

" How about you? " Lily asked Rose after a few moments, " how do you feel about this? "

Rose sighed, " Not too good, but you know, we've been through one of his regenerations before, and I still loved him the same. "

Lily smiled a little, " I've been through several of his regenerations, and I don't feel any better about it. "

Jack squeezed her hand, " Whatever will be, will be. Who knows, he might finally get to be ginger. "

Lily couldn't resist a grin at that, thinking how annoyed he'd been when she'd regenerated and turned out to have flaming red hair

" There's just one thing," Rose sighed, " do you really only get 13 regenerations? Only, once he regenerates, he'll be in his 11th form, and he's gone through these last 2 really quickly. "

Lily grimaced, unsure, " Dad thinks so, but that's just speculation. The ... the Master once found a way to extend his regenerations over 13, I think. Unless, the number isn't 13 anyway. I don't know. But even if there are only 13, one can last for hundreds of years if you're ... careful. "

They all considered the fact that the Doctor was never careful.

Jack cleared his throat, " While we're on the subject of the Master," he said carefully, "

When the Doctor came back into the TARDIS, he looked around at them all, " That's Wilf home," he said, " but I was thinking ... I want to make just a couple of quick trips. I need to check up on a few people. "

They all nodded, and Rose was the only one to speak, " Doctor, you go wherever you want," she said softly.

They all stood in silence as the Doctor set the controls, and they all knew that he needed this moment. The TARDIS flew, and landed, and the Doctor left.

He came back in, only a few moments later, and set the controls again.

They all wondered what he was doing, but trusted him.

When he came back in the third time, he had a big grin on his face and he pointed accusingly at his daughter, " You never told me Martha and Mickey had gotten _married! "_

" What? " Rose echoed.

Lily and Jack had found out the pair had gotten married the day before the whole 456 week, and it had slipped their minds with everything else that had been going on. It had been almost 4 months since then, but the only time Lily had seen her dad since finding out, was when she and Jack ell out, and went off with him - at which point her mind was really on other things.

They had spoken to Martha though, a few weeks ago. She'd wanted to come to Cardiff to help them rebuild as soon as she heard, but UNIT had had other plans for her.

" Oh yeah," Jack said, " well ... with everything that was going on ... "

" How do you know that we know? " Lily asked.

The Doctor shrugged, " You both live on Earth, in the same time - I know you're in casual contact, so I assumed she'd tell you. Martha and Mickey! I can't believe it! "

Rose laughed, " Me ... me neither. "

The Doctor set the controls, and he left the TARDIS for one more journey.

When he came back from this one, he staggered through the door, clenching his teeth in pain. He staggered over to the console and grabbed hold of the railings. Rose moved closer to him and rested her hand on his back, trying to rub soothingly, but he shook his head at her and told her to stay back, out of the way.

Lily winced as he lifted one hand up in front of his face - it was glowing with the energy of the regeneration, and she didn't like it one bit.

She could barely watch as his eyes filled with tears and he looked around the console room, his whole body glowing with energy.

" I don't want to go," he said fearfully.

He was fighting for breath by now, and Lily took a step back, pulling Jack with her, as the energy intensified, and the light radiating from him was so bright they had to squint.

Finally, as the energy engulfed him, the regeneration took full effect and he threw out his arms, his head thrown back, as the golden light flooded his body.

However, the force of the change caused flames to shoot through the TARDIS and Lily quickly had to dodge a flame that passed right by her. Parts of the TARDIS broke and burned around them, and Lily stared around in horror.

She, Jack and Rose stood close together. Lily hated that this was happening to her beloved former home, but there was nothing she could do to stop any of it.

The TARDIS started to shake and finally there was a huge explosion from the console, and the TARDIS shook more than ever. At the same time, the Doctor let out a scream, and as the light around him died down, they were met with a new man.

Lily stared.

He looked much younger than he ever had before - he didn't even look 30, and she couldn't believe this was her dad. His hair was not ginger. It was instead, light brown. His deep brown eyes were now blue, and his skin was pale, his lips thinner, his nose wider, his cheeks slightly more plump, and his face shape round. He was a good looking man, but he was so different.

She was stunned by his appearance - it was so radically different to any dad before, that she couldn't really accept that he was still her dad. He looked younger than her, for one!

She was rooted to the spot and at her side, heard Jack mumble "wow."

" Rose! " he cried out, his voice coming out different too - he sounded quite ... posh, almost, she thought, " Rose, what do you think? "

Rose's eyes were wide, but she managed to nod, " Yeah," she said, " you're ... you're ... you look ok to me. "

The new Doctor barely seemed to be listening - there was a manic grin on his face, and she was unsure about him. He turned to Lily, " Lily! " he shouted, " your opinion? "

Lily was unsure what to say and she somehow managed to nod, but by this time, he wasn't even looking at her. He lifted up leg up, and grabbed one thigh, " Legs! " he roared triumphantly, " I've got legs. "

He kissed his knee, and then lifted the other leg up, and kissed that knee too. They watched as he frantically patted the other parts of his body, " Arms! Hands! Ooh, fingers - fingers are good! "

He felt all over his face and nodded, " Ears! Eyes - Ooh two of them! A nose - Ooh, I've had worse! I've got a chin. " He grabbed his hair, " I've got hair! I've ... oh I've got a lot of hair! Am I a girl? "

Rose giggled and managed to say "No."

The new Doctor didn't seem too sure, until he ran his hand down his throat and touched his adam's apple. " Oh thank God. " He pulled a lock of hair down so he could see it and sighed, "And _still _not ginger. Oh Lily, you are so lucky. "

As the TARDIS shook again, Lily thought someone really ought to try and do something about it - explosions were still on going around them, and something had to be done.

" Wait! No-one move! " the new Doctor shouted as Lily took a step forwards, " there was something else ... something important ... a-ha! That's it - I'm crashing! "

He ran around the console wildly, and Lily shouted, " Do something about it then! "

" Doctor! " Rose shouted, as a flame passed dangerously close to her, " I can try and fly this thing, but you never finished teaching me! We're crashing! "

" Ah girls," the new Doctor said, as another explosion threw them all to the ground, " lighten up. " He jumped to his feet and roard, " Geronimo! "

Lily glanced at Jack.

" Oh dear God, he's a madman," Jack sighed.

* * *

**Author's Note: Just a chapter or two left now! After the Doctor regenerates, Jack and Lily will be on the 11th Doctor's first adventure, then after that they'll go home, and this story will end.  
****I'm now kind of starting to wish I'd never brought Rose back, because it's going to be a lot for the Doctor to be travelling with Rose, Rory, Amy, and occasionally Jack and Lily, and sometimes even River Song lol.  
I'm not sure what I'm going to do with River Song - I'm considering her being Jack and Lily's daughter, but I'm not too sure, she could also be the Doctor and Rose's, or stay as Rory and Amy's.  
I think I'll do a short story next where they're just happy, finishing the rebuild of the hub, moving into a house, and maybe write their wedding anniversary and Christmas for them to celebrate, and maybe Jack's birthday or something. I feel like there needs to be a story where they're just happy, because there's always something dramatic going on. In that story there might be the odd adventure with the 11th Doctor - and they'll have to meet River Song at some point too.  
After that I'm not sure what will happen - possibly Miracle Day, but I don't know if I'll write that, and if I do write that, it might include a pregnant Lily, but I don't know if anyone will still be reading by then lol.**

**Please let me know if you've got any ideas or anything you'd like to see.**


	25. The Eleventh Hour

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

Chapter Twenty-Five

The TARDIS shook around them, whilst the new Doctor ran around the console, trying to stabilise it. Lily still couldn't believe this young man was her dad - her dad!

Looking around, she saw the Jack looked stunned too, but he didn't seem to be finding it too difficult. He was simply watching his new father in law in mild amusement.

Rose looked half relieved that the Doctor was safe - other than the TARDIS about to crash land - but also in utter confusion. Lily realised Rose was struggling with this - it would be hard for her to adjust to the new Doctor, Lily supposed.

Lily couldn't imagine this man being her dad, and she continued to stare at him as he stood at the helm of the console, now frantically reaching for levers and buttons.

As they all fought to keep upright, it was clear that they weren't going to be able to.

" Get down! " the Doctor roared, only seconds before there was a huge explosion from the centre of the console - destroying what wasn't already on fire.

They were thrown to the floor in the blast, and Lily winced as she landed flat on her front, thrown some way across the console room. She ached but there was no lasting injury, she could tell, and as she started to sit up, she felt hands under her arms, and she was being helped up to her feet.

The new Doctor was looking at her in concern, his hands still on her arms, once she was on her feet and steadied.

" Alright? " he asked, but before she could reply, the biggest explosion yet came, and they both went flying to the floor. Lily landed half ontop of the new Doctor, and groaned as she rolled off him, and once again, he pulled her to her feet.

His eyes bored into hers, and although she didn't recognise the eyes, she could see all of the concern that had always been there, and she nodded.

By now, the doors of the TARDIS had been blasted open mid-flight, and most of the console room was on fire.

As the Doctor ran for the console, pulling his sonic screwdriver out of his pocket, Jack hurried for the doors. Their ship was moving so fast and so erratically that Jack almost fell out, as he lunged for the doors.

He worked hard to keep himself inside, but finally managed to shut the doors after himself firmly, after having narrowly avoided falling to his death over Big Ben and Westminster Palace.

" Everybody hold on tight! This is going to be a crash land! " the Doctor shouted as the movement of the TARDIS became more erratic.

The walls of the console room were beginning to fall down now, and the other rooms int he vast spaceship were caving in on them.

Rose let out a little sqeak as a bookcase narrowly avoided hitting her.

" And there goes the library," Lily said, making her way towards the console, so the could grip hold of its strong railings, despite the fire that raged from the console.

" God I'm starving," the Doctor said, pulling a lever, seemingly at random.

" Starving? " Lily demanded, " starving? Never mind that - we're going to crash! "

" But I really am starving," the Doctor sighed, " and ... " he suddenly raised his voice, and made everyone around him jump, " the swimming pool's going to go! "

There was little they could do about it, and in the next moment, they were all soaked. The swimming had descended on the console room.

Lily gritted her teeth - this was not the best situation she'd ever been in.

She looked around at Jack to see that he was grinning, and she glared at him, " This isn't funny, Jack Harkness! "

He shrugged, " Sometimes you've just got to laugh - what else can we do about it? "

She narrowed her eyes, " What you can _not _do is laugh, or you'll be sleeping on the sofa. "

" And we're crashing! " the Doctor shouted as the water from the swimming pool and the books from the library swam around the console room. He leaned forwards, over the console, and Lily watched him, soaked to the skin, her clothes dirty from the explosions.

They all tried to cling on tightly as the Doctor tried to land the TARDIS, and it eventually landed, very bumpily, and they were all thrown to the ground again. Lily was fairly sure they'd landed on their side. The doors were thrown open in the process, and they were all relieved they'd landed but apprehensive of what was to come.

" Yes! We're here! " the Doctor grinned, scrambling towards the door.

" Where? " Rose asked.

" No idea," he responded.

He reached up and grabbed hold of the side of the door, hauling himself up, and popping over the side of it. Then they heard him talking to someone, "Can I have an apple? All I can think about. Apples, I love apples. Maybe I'm having a craving - never had cavings before! "

" Where are we, Doc? " Jack asked.

The Doctor looked back down at them, " I'm not too sure. Doesn't look dangerous though. There's a little girl here. And don't call me Doc. "

" Aren't you going to move over so we can all have a look then? " Lily asked.

" Oh," the Doctor said, and suddenly he was out of their sight.

Lily sighed, " I was kind of hoping he'd stay there to give us a hand up, but ok then. "

Jack smirked, " Here, I'll go. "

Jack climbed out of the TARIS, and after him, Rose. Once Rose was out, Lily reached up for the side of th TARDIS. She grabbed hold and pulled herself up, and once she had, she looked around.

They seemed to be in a garden - it was dark, and they'd landed on top of a shed, which they'd destroyed in the process. There was a house in front of them, and on the ground, a little girl.

Jack was standing on the ground, alongside Rose, and the Doctor was sitting on top of the TARDIS. Lily swung her legs over it and jumped down to the ground, landing deftly beside Jack.

" Are you okay? " the girl asked.

She was rather adorable, with her long ginger hair and big wide eyes, and she was scottish.

" Just had a fall," the Doctor grinned, " or rather, everything fell on us. We ended up in the library. Hell of a climb out of here. "

" You're all soaking wet," the girl said.

" I was in the swimming pool," the Doctor shrugged.

The little girl looked unimpressed, " You said you were in the library. "

" So was the swimming pool," he shrugged.

" Are you a policeman? " the girl asked, before looking around at them all, " are you ... all police? "

They exchanged looks, hoping she hadn't called the police. If she had, they needed to get out of here, or do something about it. " Have you called the police? " the Doctor asked carefully.

" Did you come about the crack in my wall? " asked the little girl.

Lily frowned, wondering what that was about - that was certainly something they should investigate. " What crack, sweetheart? " she asked, feeling compelled to look out for the girl - they must have scared her by all crashing into the garden like this.

The Doctor looked about to speak, but he suddenly groaned in pain and fell from the TARDIS to the floor. Rose moved closer to him, but she didn't seem too sure about him - Lily wondered if Rose didn't like this new doctor.

Lily also moved forwards, about to kneel down and ask if he was ok.

" You all right, mister? " the little girl asked.

" Fine, fine," he said, getting to his knees, " this is all perfectly nor- " he broke off with a jerk and opeed his mouth, allowig some of the golden regeneration energy to escape from him.

" Who are you? " the girl asked, looking around at them all.

" It's ok," Lily said, " we don't want to hurt you or anything. We've just crashed, but as soon as we can get going, we'll be out of your way. "

The girl nodded a little, and took a step closer to Lily - the little girl didn't know who these people were, but the lady with the red hair like hers seemed nice, and she had a nice smile, like she could be trusted.

" But who are you though? " she asked Lily with wide eyes.

The Doctor caught their attentions by holding out his hands, which were still glowing with the regeneration energy. He looked very gleeful, and he held out his hands to Rose, who was stood closest to him.

" Look, Rose," he grinned.

She nodded, " Um ... yeah. "

" I don't know who I am yet - still cooking," he said, watching the regeneration energy glowing from his hands," does it scare you? "

" No, it just looks a bit weird," the little girl said, shrugging.

" No, no, no," the Doctor said, shaking his head," the crack in your wall - does it scare you? "

" Yes," the girl said.

The Doctor grinned, and suddenly leapt to his feet, making the girl take a few steps back in surprise. They all looked at him - this doctor seemed far more eccentric than the last.

" Wel then! " he said in excitement, " no time to lose! I'm the Doctor! Do everything I tell you, don't ask stupid questions, and don't wander off! "

Lily exchanged a look with Rose - they'd both spent many times wandering off when they shouldn't have been.

The Doctor added, " These are my ... friends. Rose, Lily, and Jack. "

Lily suddenly realised she certainly wouldn't be able to claim she was his daughter. In his last regeneration, she hadn't been able to claim she was his daughter - she'd often pretended to be his niece, until she regenerated, then she'd claimed to be his sister. Now, she would have to be his older sister - he looked almost ten years younger than her. She could be his aunt! This was all too much to take in.

The TARDIS was making strange noises, and Lily frowned as the others all started to move away from the TARDIS.

It sounded sick, and she didn't like it. She thought someone really ought to stay with it and keep an eye on it. " Um ... D-Doctor? " She'd attempted to say Dad, but the word had gotten stuck in her throat and Doctor had come out instead.

He turned around to face her, and he looked a little stunned. He was so insightful - she thought he'd probably realised that she hasn't been able to bring herself to call him "dad."

" Yes? "

" Shouldn't someone stay here with the TARDIS - it's making some strange noises - maybe ... maybe someone should stay here? " she suggested. The TARDIS had been her home for so long, and she hated that it had been destroyed like this.

" That's a good idea," Jack said, his voice sounding a little stiff, " Lily and I need to talk, anyway. "

" We ... we do? " Lily asked, raising her eyebrows at him. His expression was serious and she wondered what she'd done to deserve a serious talking to.

The Doctor nodded, " Fine," he said, " but I should go investigate this crack, shouldn't I? And I really am hungry - she's going to find me an apple or something aren't you? "

The little girl nodded.

" Then you two will stay? " the Doctor suggested, " you should probably phone your friends too. We'll go investigate. I'll shout you if we need you. "

Lily nodded, and the Doctor and Rose walked towards the house with the little girl. Lily sighed and looked at Jack, " So, "we need to talk" do we? " she asked.

" Don't worry," Jack said, shaking his head, " I just think we need to tie a few things up. Now ... how are we going to get back in here? "

" With great difficulty, I would imagine," Lily said, reaching up for the side of the TARDIS. She pulled herself up, and as she looked down at the insides of the TARDIS, she saw the mess inside. The console room was completely destroyed, and there were bits of debris and half a library lying around.

" Suppose I've got to jump," she said, suspiciously eyeing the big gap in the wall of the console room, which she thought led to Doctor's workshop, and hoping to avoid it. If she landed in the workshop, it would be an awfully big climb back up to the console room.

She eyed the ground, and took a breath before jumped. She landed safely, if ungracefully, on the floor of the console room and was joined moments later by Jack.

She got to her feet and moved over to the console.

" Wow," he said, " this place has suffered some damage. "

Lily watched as he reached out to touch the console, and then quickly withdrew his hand, letting out a yelp of pain. " It burned me! " he yelped, pointing accusingly at the console.

" She, Jack, she," Lily reminded him gently, not seeming to fazed by his claim.

" Burnt me! " he repeated, holding out his hand, " how did it do that - it's not even on fire anymore? "

Lily looked at it innocently, and reached out to touch the same piece of the console he just had - it did not burn her.

" Oh dear," she said, " the TARDIS really doesn't like you, does she? A side-effect of being a fixed point in time and space, I suppose. "

Jack narrowed his eyes at the console, " I can't believe my father in law's _spaceship _hates me. " While he was talking, he absent mindedly went to lean against it, only to let out another help of surprise and quickly stand up.

" I know," Lily nodded, reaching out to stroke the console lightly, " I really thought she might have warmed to you once you officially became family. But, apparently not. "

" It doesn't usually _burn _me," Jack said accusingly.

Lily rolled her eyes, running her hand along the console, " Cut her a bit of slack," she said, " look what's happened to her - she's bound to be feeling a bit touchy. "

" Stupid TARDIS," Jack mumbled under his breath.

From the ceiling, a bit of debris fell, and narrowly missed hitting Jack on the head, which in turn, meant Lily narrowly avoided bursting to laughter. She smiled and Jack was watching her touch the console.

" He strokes the console like that too," he said, "your dad, I mean. "

Lily realised what she was doing, and stopped. She knew the TARDIS should eventually be ok - the ship would heal itself - almost like the Time Lords regeerated, the TARDIS would fix herself.

Lily turned to look at her husband, " So," she said, " what do we need to talk about? "

" There's really no need to look so worried," Jack said, " but I ... I wanted to talk about the Master. "

" Why would you want to talk about _him? " _she asked, confused, " he's gone. It's over. "

Jack nodded, " Baby, listen, I'm not trying to start a argument or make you feel uncomfortable, I just want to know everything that went on. "

Lily nodded - she didn't want to talk about the man, but she supposed they'd have to. She could understand Jack's need to talk about it, to give them all closure.

" Fine," she said, " but how about, if we talk about it now, we never have to talk about the Master again? "

Jack nodded, " Believe me, he's not my favourite topic of conversation either. "

Lily stuffed her hands in her pockets, and looked down at the floor. She didn't want this conversation, but she owed it to Jack to let him talk about whatever was worryig him. " Ok," she said, " where do we start? "

Jack looked at her, " When we were first with the Master, back in the wasteland, you were terrified. And I understand that - I'd certainly expect that. But then ... something changed. And then ... then he stopped you from running to your dad, when the time lords were going to kill him. He was touching you, and you weren't pushing him off. He said things to you, that I couldn't hear. Then he kissed your cheek, and he whispered something in your ear. "

" Yes," Lily nodded, " and? "

" I just want to know what he _said," _Jack sighed, sensing how closed off she was about it all, and how she really didn't want to talk about it, " please, let me just have this one conversation about the Master. Then we can stop. "

She paused, and then nodded.

" Ok," she said, " ok. He told me he was going to save my dad. He told me to stay out of the way, where I was safe, because he was going to save my dad. And he did, didn't he? And ... and when he kissed my cheek, he said he was sorry. "

" Sorry? " Jack repeated, " he was sorry? "

Lily nodded, " Yeah. He said he was sorry. He was apologising for everything. Not that I'd ever be able to forgive him of course, and I don't know if he meant it, but he said he was sorry. "

" Sorry? " Jack's voice had rised to a shout, " everything he did to you - to all of us, and he's sorry? One word? He thought a pathetic one word apology would make everything alright? Doesn't he realise everything that - "

" Shut up. "

Jack looked stunned at being cut off and he raised his eyebrows, " Huh? "

" Just stop it," Lily said, " yes, he said he was sorry. No, I will ever be able to accept that apology. But he's gone now, so it doesn't matter what kind of apology he offered up. I hate that we had to see him again, but he's gone for good. He's stuck in a time lock, and he'll remain there. We should just be thankful that he's gone, and that his last act was to save my dad. "

Jack nodded, " Fine. I'll drop it - I just wanted to know what he'd said to you. "

" And are you happy now? "

Jack walked forwards, and stopped when he was only just in front of her. " I'm not sure happy is the word, but I'm satisifed that I know all the facts," he said. There was a long pause in which they looked at each other, and finally, Jack asked, " Now, are you alright? "

Her reply was to lean towards him, wrapping his arms around his waist - she needed a hug, and he was always so good at it. He instantly wrapped his arms around her, one around her waist and the other hand resting on the back of her head, his fingers wrapped up in her hair.

It was a long hug, in which they just stood closely together, and Jack broke the silence first, " At least he's gone for good. I'll never understand how there could be a man that evil. "

Lily sighed, her voice muffled by Jack's chest, " Me neither. Although a lot of it was down to the time lord high council, wasn't it? They drove him mad, by putting that bloody drumbeat into his head. "

Jack frowned and moved back at a little, his arms still wrapped around her, but so he could see her face, " You're not ... _sympathising _with him? "

He sounded quite horrified, and she frowned, " Don't be ridiculous - of course I'm not. I'd never make excuses for him - I'm just pointing out, that _they _made him everything he was. That's why I didn't want him to be killed, when my dad had the gun trained on him. "

" Your dad was never going to shoot him anyway," Jack said, " he never would have killed the Master. I know they're enemies, but they were friends once, weren't they? "

Lily nodded. She recalled the time she'd asked her dad if he'd been in love with the Master. The reply she'd gotten was "I loved Rose" and she'd told him that didn't answer the question, but the conversation had ended there.

Eventually, she replied, " I just think he could have been so different, if they hadn't done that to him. If they hadn't made him insane. "

The look on Jack's face was strange, and he asked, " You're ... _sure ... _you don't sympathise with him? Stockholm syndrome and all that? "

" Don't be stupid," she said, stepping back and pulling out of his arms. " I'm not going to stand here and listen to what sounds like accusations. "

She turned her back on him, trying to figure out what his problem was - it didn't sound like he was trying to start an argument, but the whole conversation was something she didn't want to talk about. She was confused enough about how she felt about the Master now, without Jack trying to make sense of it all.

She felt Jack's presence as he closed up the gap, and she felt him pressed up behind her, resting his hand on her shoulder, " Lily, I'm not accusing you of anything. I just want to understand everything that went on. "

She sighed, " I know. I know ... I ... I know. "

Jack's lips twitched into a smile, and he ran his hand down her arm slowly. When he got to the end of her arm, he took hold of her hand. She allowed his to take her hand and spoke without turning to face him, though she leaned back against his chest.

" Anything else we need to talk about? " she asked.

" Were you scared? " Jack asked.

Lily scoffed, " I was scared a lot of times yesterday, today, whatever, yeah. "

" I know you were scared when we first got reunited with the Doctor, and the .. the Master was running around," he said, resting his other hand on her other arm, " And I know you were scared when all those people changed into him and your dad wasn't with us. But I meant when he grabbed you, when he kissed your cheek, when he whispered in your ear. "

" It wasn't fear," Lily said, shaking her head as she thought about it, " it was shock, I suppose. But I knew he wasn't going to do anything to me - he was too busy with the other time lords. "

" But you weren't scared? "

Lily wondered what was wrong with him, why he even needed to have this conversation, and she turned around to face him, " What's all this about? " she asked. He was now no longer holding her hand, and the expression on his face was still unreadable.

" I'm just ... asking," he said, " I mean, time lords have got this ... bond, haven't they? The whole mind link thing ... and why did he apologise? Why did he save your dad? "

Lily reached out to rest her hand on his cheek, the gap between them non-existant, " You think he did it as some kind of gesture, don't you? Some kind of "look Lily, I'll show you I'm good for you by saving your beloved dad." Well, I don't know how his mind works. "

Jack sighed and closed his eyes as she caressed his cheek softly, " I'm sorry," he said without openig his eyes, " I think ... I think I just got paranoid. The last time we were with him he tried to take you away from me, and I thought ... I thought he'd try and do it again somehow. I thought maybe he was taking a different approach to it - maybe trying to convince you he could be a good guy. I don't know - I just ... I got paranoid. "

It was unlike Jack to be insecure and she shook her head, " Don't you _know _how much I love you? As if _anyone _could take me away from you, let alone him - he's ... he's the last person. Oh Jack, I might have realised that the time lords made him everything he was but that doesn't change what he did. I still hate him. And I still love _you. "_

Jack suddenly opened his eyes and leaned forwards, capturing her lips and pulling her in for a kiss. She grinned into the kiss and wrapped her arms around him, returning it only too happily.

When they broke apart, Lily shook her head, " How could you ever think anyone else could sway me? Don't you _know _how God damned amazing you are? "

Jack sighed, " I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I don't know what I was thinking. "

She nodded, " It's ok. You're allowed a few moments of madness, paranoia, whatever, every so often - especially when _he's _concerned. Now, case closed? "

" Absolutely," Jack said, pulling her back to him, and wrapping his arms around her. She smiled and rested her head against his chest as they stood together, and she felt the heat radiating from him. They stayed like that for a long time, and Jack absent mindedly ran his hands through her hair every so often, whilst resting his chin on the top of her head.

As they stood together, Lily's mind worked away, thinking about what this crack the little girl was talking about was. She knew her dad would sort it out, and then her mind moved to her dad - what would happen to him.

Jack sighed, " This place is a real mess," he said.

" We're a real mess," Lily pointed out - their clothes were both wet, and a little dirty from the explosions, and the TARDIS was in ruins around them, " but the TARDIS is clever - she'll heal herself. "

She wanted to stay in Jack's arms forever, just being held close by him, but eventually, their embrace broke. Jack looked around, looking for somewhere to sit, but of course there was no-where.

Lily wandered over to the console, and she started wandering around it, trying to figure out what was making the soft whirring noises. She supposed it was just the TARDIS beginning to heal herself, or taking in the damage that had been caused to her.

As the TARDIS seemed to whine, Lily found herself mumbling words of comfort to the spaceship, though she spoke in her native Gallifreyan.

It was rare that she spoken her Gallifreyan - she'd spoken in regularly in her childhood, and in the beginning when she and her dad travelled alone. But once they'd started finding companions who were usually from earth, it became more natural to speak English. Even once they were alone, they'd found themselves speaking English. But Gallifreyan was such a beautiful language, and being in the TARDIS seemed to draw it out of her.

She noticed Jack looking at her in confusion - in its state, the TARDIS was sluggish at translating, and it was a while before she translated the words as "It's ok, you'll be ok, and he'll be ok."

Jack smiled - sometimes when they were alone together, in their most tender moments she'd pull out a few words of her native Gallifreyan for him, and he'd never heard a more beautiful sound than the most ancient Gallifreyan lullabies.

" So, what do you think of him? " Jack asked, as she continued to circle the console.

" My ... the Doctor? " she asked, looking up at him.

Jack frowned, " Well that says it all doesn't it? "

" Hmm? " she asked, frowning.

" He's your Dad," Jack pointed out, " but you just referred to him as "The Doctor" which is an odd way to refer to your dad. It seems odd that you couldn't call him "Dad". "

" He doesn't seem like my dad," she said, still circling the console, " I'm not sure how, but that man, how can that be my dad? "

" Baby, you saw him regenerate. You know that's your dad," Jack said simply.

Lily shook her head, " Jack, I know what I saw, and I know that my dad turned into that man, but I'm having trouble accepting that my dad is that man out there. I don't know how to explain it - he's just so different. "

" He only looks different," Jack reminded her, " and - "

" I know," she interrupted, " I've seen enough regenerations to know how it works, and I've known enough different versions of my dad to know he's still my dad, but it's just how I feel. I just need to come around to it. I need to figure out what my relationship to him is again. And before you say it, yes, he's my dad, but it's different every time. Like 9th dad was so protective, so controlling, and 10th dad was even more protective but there was more room to breathe - I was closest to 10th dad than I've ever been to any of his regenerations. So now he's changed, it's weird. "

Jack nodded, supposing it must be odd for her. It had been hard for him when Lily had regenerated, but her regeneration had gone wrong, and she'd spent the first two days asleep, during which time he'd been able to mostly come to terms with it before she woke up - with the help of the Doctor.

" There's one thing to be said about this," Jack said.

" Yeah? "

" He's pretty good looking," Jack said.

Lily sighed, " Jack, that's your _father in law_," she said in exasperation.

Jack shrugged, " You can't blame me for noticing. He was hot before, of course, but he's still got a certain charm now hasn't he? "

She groaned, " Jack, for God's sake, that's my dad. I don't want to hear it. "

" I'm just saying - "

" Yeah," she said, " well, if you don't mind, maybe give it a rest? " The way her lips twitched into a smile told Jack that she wasn't angry with him, " he _is _your father in law. "

" Aw baby, don't sweat it," Jack said, " he's still got nothing on you. "

She grinned, " I should hope so. I can't _believe _he looks younger than us both ... it makes it all the more ... weird. Hey, d'you think we should ring the hub? They _have _all just turned into the Master and back, they're probably pretty freaked out. "

Jack nodded, patting his pockets down as he searched for his phone, " I'll ring Gwen. "

Of everyone in the team, Gwen was undoubtedly her least favourite, though Jack was fond of her, and they'd just never agreed on their opinions of her. Jack was especially watchful of her, now she was several months pregnant.

Lily would much rather have rung Tosh, her confidante, or Owen, her surrogate brother, or Ianto, who had put them up for almost 4 months now, when they had no-where else to go. But if Jack wanted to ring Gwen, she was't going to voice her objections.

They were distracted by the loud sound of bells from the TARDIS.

" What's that? " Jack asked.

Lily's eyes widened as desperately moved to the main part of the console, " Engines," she said, " the engines are phasing! If we don't sort this out, it's ... the TARDIS is going to burn. "

She tried to think about what she could do, and she jumped into action, doing all that she could remember to stabilise it. She pressed buttons and pulled levers, and as Jack started to climb out to find the Doctor, the Doctor threw himself through the doors, with a cry of "Geronimo! "

He landed with a thud on the ground beside her, making her jump, but he'd jumped up to his feet before she could offer him hand.

" Ah! " he cried, seeing her attempting to stabilise the situation, " good work, Lils. Keep pressed down at that button - yes that one, that's it - and just twist that over there. I'll do the rest. No-body panic! "

Jack helped Rose into the TARDIS, and closed the doors after her.

" So, what's going on? " Lily asked the pair of them, as the Doctor worked on fixing the state of the TARDIS.

" Oh, well it turns out I didn't want an apple," the Doctor shrugged, looking at her from across the console, " but fish fingers and custard make quite an appealing conbination. "

" Not about the food, you idiot! " Lily sighed as he pulled down on a lever, and the sound of the bells died down as the TARDIS took flight, " about the whole situation! "

" Ah. That," he said, " well, Amelia Pond is a lovely little girl - oh, we're in England, by the way. She's Scottish, but parents aren't around, lives with her aunt. Anyway lovely girl, and there is a crack in Amelia Pond's bedroom wall. But that crack is not in the wall. It's in everything. It's in the skin of the world. And from the other side of the wall, came a voice "Prisoner Zero has escaped." "

" What's that supposed to mean? " Lily asked.

" There's a prison at the other side of the wall," Rose fillled in.

The Doctor nodded, " Good. Well, not good, very very bad, but you know ... good that we're all pulling together. Because, darling daughter, the prison has lost a prisoner - through the crack in the wall. And there's something else off - I could sense something, but I'm not sure what it was. Down to the regeneration, I suppose - senses are a little ... off. Anyway, we are moving five minutes forward in time to fix this, and we're going to get back to help Amelia. Just five little minutes. "

The TARDIS was in flight, and moment later, they landed.

" Yes! " the Doctor grinned triumphantly, before a frown crossed his face. He appeared to be thinking very deeply, and suddenly he roared, " No! "

Lily looked at Jack and Rose, all of them wondering if this outburst was down to his regeneration - all this erratic eccentric behaviour.

" No, no, no! " he roared, " prisoner zero! We need to get out there. "

The TARDIS was now no longer on her side - she was slowly healing, but it would take a while longer before she was fully fixed. The Doctor moved forwards to throw open the doors - it was daylight outside now, but none of them really noticed, all too fixed on the Doctor's behaviour.

He turned back to his companions, " We need to find Amelia, now," he said, " and we're sticking together," he added, with a look at his daughter and son-in-law. " You, with me," he said to his daughter.

Lily felt quite surprised at this, " With you? " she asked, wondering why this felt like an order.

" Yes," he said, reaching out for her hand, " with me, because you're usually always getting into trouble. "

" Yes," she replied, " usually because I'm _with you. "_

He sighed, " I'm in charge around here, Lils, so stay close by. I can do without having to worry about you. " He lowered his hand however, so he seemed to have decided that he didn't need to go as far as holding her hand.

She seemed too grown up for that - but when she'd travelled with her dad before, he'd always held her hand if they were running away from something, just to make sure he had her nearby, and he wouldn't lose her.

" Just stay close," he told her, before looking at Rose and Jack too, " that's all of you. "

As they left the TARDIS, Lily glanced at Jack, " Brilliant," she sighed, " he's all protective again. "

" It's my job," the Doctor told her sternly, looking over his shoulder at her. She sighed - her dad had always been protective, but the dad he'd just regenerated from wouldn't have wanted to hold her hand like she was a child. That dad had at least accepted that although she was his little girl, she'd grown up a lot, and she was most certainly an adult. Even by time lord standards.

" What's going on, Doctor? " Rose asked, as they stepped out of the TARDIS,

" I think I've worked something out," he said quickly, " and we need to sort this out. "

" What do you know? " Rose asked.

" No time to explain," he said quickly, " let's just get up there. Lily! What have I told you about staying close by? "

" D-D-" Once again, as much as she tried to say dad, the word wouldn't come out of her mouth, " Doctor, I'm a few metres behind, if that. "

He carried on striding ahead, and spoke without looking at her, " Get next to me, where I can keep an eye on you. "

His mind seemed to be working quite hard as they walked towards the house, and once they got closer, he was running towards the front door. He threw himself against it, only for it to be locked, and he banged on it hard.

" Amelia! Amelia I know what I was missing - you've got to get out of there! "

Lily wondered where the young girl was - there seemed to be no-one around at all. She watched her dad pull the sonic screwdriver out of his pocket and try it against the door a few times, before the door swung open.

He reached out and took hold of Lily's arm at the elbow, making her stay close to him. They walked into the house, and she allowed him to keep hold of her arm, knowing he was only doing it out of concern.

The four of them moved through the house, while the Doctor called for Amelia, and they hurried upstairs. Once on the upstairs landing, of the seemingly empty house , the Doctor moved straight for one door in particularly.

Lily had a strange feeling about the door, and she thought maybe it had had a perception filter over it. As a time lord, she'd easily seen through it, but she supposed for someone who didn't have the same kind of sense, it could have a perception filter over it.

He tried the sonic screwdriver on this door, shouting, " Prisoner Zero is here! Prisoner zero is here! "

They were all watching the Doctor, who still had one arm around Lily's arm - Rose was standing just behind them, and Jack standing behind her.

Lily's ears were pricked up when she heard a creak on one of the floor boards behind them. She turned around, as Jack must have turned around at the same moment, as she turned around just in time to see Jack - standing furthest back, of the lot of them - be hit in the face with a cricket bat.

She gasped as he fell to the floor and the noise had attracted the Doctor's attention too.

He turned and let go of Lily's arm, and they were faced with a young policewoman. The woman looked livid as she held up her cricket bat threateningly - she seemed to be looking around at them all, as if trying to work out whether she could take them all on.

Lily moved forwards, towards the woman, although the woman held up the cricket bat, " Don't come close," she said.

Lily nodded, calmly holding up her hands - she knew they couldn't afford to get in trouble with the police. After all, they weren't really down on any records, they just didn't exist as people. Rose was oficially dead, Lily and her dad didn't exist, and Jack ... well, there was very ltitle to be found on Jack. Only those highest up would know who he was.

And come to think of it, Lily wasn't too sure where they actually where. She supposed it was fairly close to her own time, but she couldn't be sure how close.

No, they couldn't afford to get into trouble with authorities. The only one of them who oficially existed was Jack, but he was only known to the highest authorities. There'd be no-one to get them out of this, if they got themselves arrested. Not without great difficult, anyway.

" I just want to check on him," Lily said calmly, looking at Jack.

The police woman, who looked to be only in her early twenties, and was in full uniform, held the cricket bat up, keeping a close eye on Lily, but said, " Fine. But no funny business. "

Lily took a step forward and dropped to her knees beside Jack. She reached out to touch his face - he was out cold, thanks to the policewoman's spectacular blow to his face, but he was otherwise alright, she decided. She knew he'd come around, and there was nothing she could do until then.

The police woman took a step forwards, past Lily, and raised the bat as if she was debating who she should hit next.

" What the hell are you doing? " the woman asked.

When no-one answered straight away, the policewoman looked around, as if deciding what to do with them, and she pointed the cricket bat towards the very corner of the corridor, " Over there," she said, " get over there"

Both Rose and the Doctor did as they were told - Lily knew that the Doctor had decided not to argue with her. It was more trouble than it was worth to get into trouble with the police. She knew he was hoping to get some kind of information.

The policewoman, who Lily noticed had gorgeous ginger hair, picked up the radio on her uniform and spoke into it calmly, " Two white males, one mid twenties, one mid to late thirties, two white females, one early twenties, one mid thirties. Breaking and entering. Send me some back up, I've got them under control so far. "

Lily stayed knelt on the floor, glancing between her husband and the Doctor and Rose.

" You're a policewoman," the Doctor frowned, standing slightly in front of Rose.

" And you're breaking and entering," the woman replied, " see how it works? "

" But, what are you doing here? " asked the Doctor, voicing what they were all thinking, " where's Amelia? "

The policewoman looked at him - this name obviously meant something to her, and Lily started to think about what was going on.

" Amelia ... Pond? " asked the woman.

" Yeah," the Doctor nodded, " Amelia - little Scottish girl. Where is she? I promised her five minutes, but the engines were phasing, I suppose I must have gone a bit too far. Has something happened to her? "

They all waited to see what was going on, and the policewoman replied, " Amelia Pond hasn't lived here in a long time. "

" How long? " the Doctor asked.

Lily realised they must have skipped some time and the policewoman replied, " 6 months. "

There was a pause, during which Lily sighed - they were supposed to be helping the girl, but they'd been late. The TARDIS was unreliable sometimes, and this seemed to be one of those instances.

" No," the Doctor said, clearly feeling terrible about it, " no, no, no. I promised! I said five minutes ... I promised. "

The policewoman turned her back on him, and Lily could see her face now. She looked very annoyed, and Lily had a feeling that there was something going on here, which she wasn't sharing.

She was drawn out of these thoughts by a groan, and looked down to see Jack starting to come around. She watched him slowly coming around, and once he had finally come around, his eyes fixed first on her.

" My head hurts," he said.

She smirked, " I'm not surprised. "

Jack started to sit up, and Lily rose to her feet, and Lily watched the policewoman's eyes settle on Jack warily. Jack gave her his most winning grin, " Well, woman in uniform," he grinned, " my kind of woman. "

The policewoman's lips actually curved into a smile, though she tried to hide it. Lily rolled her eyes - Jack knew just how to charm everyone.

" Time and a place, Jack," the Doctor sighed.

Jack pouted at the Doctor, looking over at him, " Oh, you're no fun, Doc. "

" What happened to her? " Lily asked as she offered a hand to Jack, pulling him to his feet, " to Amelia? "

" I don't know," the policewoma replied stiffly, making Lily think there was something else going on.

" Look," the Doctor said, " you don't understand what's going o around here - I don't have time to explain it all, but I really need to talk to whoever lives in this house. "

" I live here," she said, surprising them all.

" But you're the police," the Doctor said.

" Police have to live somewhere," the policewoman said, " I live here, which is why I don't appreciate you and your little gang breaking in here. Problem with that? "

The Doctor sighed, and Jack was now standing at Lily's side, both of them watching the situation in front of them. " How many rooms? " the eccentric suddenly asked.

" I'm sorry? " the policewoman asked, " what? "

" On this floor, how many rooms are there? " the Doctor asked, " count them for me, now. "

" Why? "

" Because it will change your life, now count them," he told her.

Lily realised what he was trying to do - to see if she was indeed affected by the perception filter over that particular door. The policewoman was clearly unimpressed with this, but she complied, " Five," she said, before pointing each one out and counting it, " one, two, three, four, five. "

" Six," he corrected instantly.

She laughed, " Six? "

" Look," the Doctor said, nodding behind her.

" Look where? " the policewoman asked.

" Exactly where you don't want to look," the Doctor replied, " where you never wanna look. The corner of your eye - look behind you. "

They all watched in silence, as the policewoman slowly turned around to look for this extra door. Eventually, she seemed to have seen it, and she shook her head, " That's ... that's not possible. How is that possible. "

" Perception filter," Lily said, " It's something all the way around the door, that stops you seeing it. "

" But that's a whole room! " the police woman said, turning to stare at Lily, " how can there be a whole room I've never noticed? "

" The filter stops you," the Doctor took over, " something came here a while ago to hide, and it's still hiding. "

" In there? " the policewoman asked, moving closer to the door, which was just beside Jack and Lily.

" Don't go in there," the Doctor warned her, before his eyes fell on Jack and Lily, " move away from the door," he told them.

Lily didn't need telling twice but she didn't get the opportunity to move away of her own accord anyway, as just behind her, Jack rested his hands on her shoulders and walked forwards, gently nudging her with him, until they were stood near Rose and the Doctor.

Behind them, the policewoman was ignoring the Doctor's orders.

" Do not touch that door! " he said, nudging past Jack and Lily. When he was ignored again, he called out, " listen to me! Do not - " he broke off on seeing that he was being ignored again.

" Why does no-one ever listen to me? " he asked, looking at his companions, " no-one has _ever _listened to me when they should have done. Do I just have one of those faces that no-one lisens to? Well, again. "

As he kept on eye on the policewoman, who by now had opened the door, he searched his pockets for something.

" Sonic screwdriver," he said, " I had it when we came in - where is it? "

They all looked around them, but no-one could see it.

" Have you seen it? " the Doctor asked, extending it to the policewoman, " little silver thing, blue bit at the end. "

" There's nothing here," she replied, her figure half hidden in the wardrobe, though they weren't sure if she was talking about the screwdriver or the room that she never knew existed.

" " Whatever's in there," the Doctor replied, " can't be good. Now, just get out of there, please. "

" Silver, blue at the end, yeah? " she asked.

The Doctor moved closer, very cautious, though he wasn't about to go into the room. " My screwdriver, yeah. "

" It's here," she told him.

" Must have rolled under the door," the Doctor nodded.

There was a pause, and it felt very tense - Lily suddenly had a bad feeling about it. The policewoman replied, " Yeah. Must've. And then it must've ... jumped onto the table. "

" Get out of there! " the Doctor said, and behind him, Lily took a careful step forwards, desperate to see what was going on, despite Jack's protests from behind her.

" There's nothing here," the policewoman said, " but ... "

" Don't look," said the Doctor quickly, " in the corner of your eye, don't look. If it knows you've seen it, it will kill you. "

" What is it? " whispered Lily.

The Doctor sighed as she came level with her, and clamped his hand around her forearm, " Why do you never listen? " he asked, " you're better off staying back. "

" Please," Lily scoffed, " when have you ever known me to follow orders? "

The Doctor made no reply, but kept hold of her arm - if she wasn't going to stay back, where it was safe, he was at least going to make sure she wasn't getting any closer to the danger.

It was suddenly very quiet, and the silence was broken by a scream.

" Get out of there! " the Doctor shouted.

She quickly ran out of the little room and the Doctor plucked the sonic screwdriver from her hands and quickly aimed it at the door. He quickly locked the door, still holding onto his daughter's arm, and he looked over his shoulder - Rose at least was staying back, he thought. It would, of course, be too much to ask that both of his girls do what was best for them, but at least he was only having to think about Lily's reckless streak at the moment.

" Will that door hold? " asked the policewoman.

Jack laughed, looking at the young woman, " I wouldn't hold your breath sweetheart. "

The Doctor threw Jack a warning look, before looking at the policewoman, " Of course it will," he said, seemingly serious, " it's an interdimensional multiform from outer space. They're all t_errified _of wood. "

She glared at him. Lily couldn't blame her - it was not the time for sarcasm.

The door suddenly flashed yellow and Lily was intruiged. She wondered what her dad knew about it that she didn't, and she whispered, " What's it doing in there? "

" I don't know," he replied. he looked at the policewoman, " get out of here. You'll be fie, your back up is coming. "

" There is no back up," the woman said.

They all frowned at this, " But ... but on the radio," Rose spluttered, " you called for some. "

" I was pretending," she said, looking rather embarrassed, " it's a pretend radio. "

" But you're a policewoman! " Lily said, " how can it be a _pretend _radio? "

" I'm a kissogram," the policewoman eventually said, colour rising in her cheeks. She pulled off her hat, and her red hair fell around her face in loose curls.

Jack let out a wolf whistle, automatically making his wife roll her eyes, but there was no time for any comment on this, and at the other end of the corridor, the mysterious door was knocked down.

Lily took a few steps backwards in shock, and walked straight into her husband, who waved off her apology. Lily froze - she knew there was something wrong with this creature. Her instincts and her brain were kicking in, and she knew that there was something very wrong with this.

" But it's just ... " started the policewoman.

" No it's not," the Doctor said, " look at the faces. "

The dog growled and barked, but its face did not move - instead the face of the man moved.

" It's all one creature, isn't it? " Jack mumbled behind her.

" Gold star, Captain Jack," Lily said out of the corner of her mouth, to which she heard his chuckle.

The Doctor spoke to them all, as he explained what Lily had mostly guessed. " It's all one creature, disguised as two. Clever old multiform. A bit of a rushed job though, got the voices mixed up, didn't you? Mind you, where did you get the pattern from? You'd need a psychic link, life feed, how d'you fix that? "

The creature took a step towards them all, the Doctor positioned himself in front of all of them, arms thrown out to try and protect them all. " We're safe," he told the creature, " want to know why? " Jerking his thumb at the kissogram, he said, " she called for back up. "

" I didn't," the woman said.

The Doctor sighed, " I knew. It was a clever lie to save our lives. " When the creature advanced, he held up his hands, " And that's why we're safe! If we had back up, then you'd have to kill us, right? "

Lily was confused when there was a voice from outside of the house somewhere.

" Attention prisoner zero. The human residence is surrounded. Attention prisoner zero. The human residence is surrounded. Prisoner zero will vacate the human residence, or the human residence will be incinerated. "

That last sentence was repeated over and over, and the creature wandered into another room, as if trying to look outside and see the voice.

" Run," the Doctor suddenly ordered, " everybody, run! "

They didn't need to be told again, and they all ran downt he stairs and moved for the door. The voice of the creature was continuing, and the Doctor made sure they were all in front of him, before slamming the house door after him and locking it with his screwdriver.

" A kissogram? " the Doctor shouted at the young woman, as they hurried on.

" Yes, a kissogram," the woman said, " what's going on here? "

" Wouldn't we all like to know? " Rose added.

" Why'd you pretend to be a policewoman? " the Doctor asked.

" Because you were breaking into my house," the woman replied, " it was this or french maid. "

" Can hardly blame her," Lily shrugged.

" And she'd got on hell of an aim on her," Jack added.

The woman at least looked sheepish as she glanced at Jack, " Sorry about that. "

Jack grinned, " Don't worry about it, sweetheart. No harm done. Still as handsome as ever. "

The woman ignored him and looked back at the Doctor, " What's going on? "

The Doctor sighed, " An alien convict is hiding in your spare room, disguised as a man and a dog, and some other aliens are about to incinerate your house. Any questions? "

" Yes! "

" Me too," he told her, attempting to open the TARDIS with his sonic screwdriver once they reached it. His attempts to open it were unsuccessful, and he groaned, hitting the side of it.

" It's rebuilding," the Doctor informed them all," won't let us in. "

" Come on! " the woman said as the voice continued to adress Prisoner Zero, " we can't afford to be hanging around. "

he grabbed hold of his arm, and tried to pull him in one direction. He tried to protest, and as they started to leave the garden, both father and daughter noticed something at the same time.

" The shed," Lily started to say, only to see him already nodding.

" The shed," he repeated, looking at the woman who claimed to live in the house, " wait, wait, wait, I destroyed that shed last time I was here! "

" So there's a new one? " she shrugged.

" Yeah, but the new one's got old pretty quick," the Doctor said, which was exactly what Lily had been thinking, " it's ten years old at least! " He reached out and rubbed it, before licking his fingers, " 12 years. I'm not 6 months late, I'm 12 years late! "

" He's coming," the policewoman said, looking towards the house.

Lily felt the need to protect the woman, who was clearly so confused by everything - just an innocent human, " It'll be ok," she said, as Jack edged forwards, being the gentleman - of sorts - as always, and keeping the girls behind him, hoping to be a protector.

" You said 6 months," the Doctor said, " why did you say 6 months? "

" We've got to go," said the woman.

Jack cleared his throat, " Doctor, we really do have to go. "

" But this is important," the Doctor said.

" We know," Lily sighed, " but so are our lives. " She too wanted to know exactly what was going on, but there was no time to stand around.

" Why did you say 6 months? " the Doctor persisted.

" Why did you say 5 minutes? " the woman snapped.

In an instant, they all realised who this was, but Lily could hardly believe it. That sweet little girl they'd met not half an hour ago was this fully grown woman.

" What? " the Doctor asked, shaking his head, " what? "

" Come on! " the woman they now knew was Amelia Pond sighed.

" What? "

" Doctor! " Rose shouted, trying to urge him on.

The Doctor finally realised they really ought to get going, and as the alien voice continued, they all hurried out of the garden.

They were hurrying through the village, the Doctor at the front of their little group, Rose at his side. He constantly turned around to check on his daughter and son in law, who were just behind him, and Amelia, who walked on Lily's side.

" You're Amelia," the Doctor said, staring at her as they walked.

" You're late," she replied sharply.

" You're Amelia! The little girl! "

" Doctor, we've covered that," Rose said, shaking her head.

" Yes, I'm Amelia, and you're still late," was the response.

Jack chuckled at her response and nudged Lily, " I like her," he said, in an undertone so only she could hear.

She eyed him suspiciously, though as usual there was a smile present, " I'd gathered," she mumbled, for his ears only.

Jack smirked, " But seriously," he said quietly, " she's hilarious - I bet she'd give Owen the run around. Can we keep her? "

" Don't count on it. "

" Twelve years," Amelia said, glaring at the Doctor.

" You hit my ... brother in law with a cricket bat! " the Doctor returned, pausing only for a few moments to stop himself from slipping up my naming Jack his son-in-law, where there was no possible way he could be his son-in-law, from looks alone.

Jack shrugged, " I'm not too fussed about that, to be honest. She w_as _just defending herself from what she thought were burgulars. "

" But she knew we weren't burgulars," the Doctor pointed out, " she's met us before. "

" Oh yeah," Jack said, suddenly realised that maybe he ought to be annoyed, but not quite being able to find it within himself, " ah, no damage to the face, I'm over it. "

"A cricket bat! " the Doctor repeated.

" 12 years and 4 psychiatrists," Amelia said, rather angrily.

" Four? " Lily asked, unable to resist.

" I kept biting them," Amelia said.

Lily smiled and glanced at Jack. She knew Jack was dying to make some kind of comment here, and she repressed the urge to playfully slap him. Usually if he made flirty comments about someone else, she returned it by picking the nearest approriate male to try the same tactic on. Unfortunately there were currently none around.

" Why would you bite them? " asked the Doctor.

" Because they said you weren't real, alright? "

The voice declaring that the house would be incinerated was still going on, and as they looked around for the source of it, they saw that it was coming from the speakers of an ice-cream van.

" What's that? " the Doctor demanded, hurrying over to the ice cream van and leaving everyone to follow him. " What're you playing? "

" We're being staked out by an ice-cream van? " Amelia asked.

Lily tried to smile reassuringly at the young woman, " Don't worry about it. Things like this happen all the time around the Doctor, and they always work out. "

" You're joking? " Amelia asked, looking unimpressed.

" I'm telling you, it'll work out," Lily told her.

" How? "

" I'm not sure yet," Lily admitted, as she watched her dad. He picked up the speakers and held them to his ears, and as she looked around, Lily realised that everything with speakers was playing the voice.

" We need to get to a tv or something," the Doctor said.

" We can't just burst into someone's house," Rose pointed out, " it's not really the done thing. "

The Doctor looked at Lily, his trusted daughter, now living on earth, surrounded by humans constantly, " Isn't it? "

Lily shook her head, " Afraid not. "

" Well, we'll just have to try," the Doctor said, " Amelia, any ideas? "

" This way. "

Lily followed them as they walked towards one of the little cottages in the village. Amelia led them through the back garden and pushed open the unlocked door. They found themselves in someone's home, and the Doctor led the way, heading into a living room. Lily was directly behind him.

They found an old woman sitting on the sofa, remote control in her hand. On the screen was a giant eyeball, whizzing around and speaking the same words as everything else from outside.

" Hello! " the Doctor said brightly, " sorry to burst him, we're doing a special on television faults in the area. "

The other three followed them into the room, " All of you? " the woman asked.

" Well," the Doctor said, pulling a face, " it can be a dangerous business. Better to carry it out in teams. Anyway, television faults! "

" And also, crimes," Amelia said, also bursting into the room.

" Now, let's have a look," the Doctor said.

The old woman sighed, " I was just about to phone someone, actually. It's on every channel. Oh, hello Amy, dear. Are you a policewoman, now? "

Lily smiled a little when she noticed the embarrassed look on Amy's face. Amy tried to wave it off, " Well, sometimes .. "

" I thought you were a nurse? " the old woman asked.

" I can be a nurse," Amelia - or Amy, did she go by now? - replied.

Jack poked Lily's side and leaned down to mumble at her, " Could _you _be a nurse? "

Lily bit back a mischevious smile, " Now's the not the time. "

" Or, actually, a nun? " the old woman asked Amy.

Amy waved it off, " I dabble," she laughed nervously.

" Amy, who're your friends? " the woman asked her.

" Who's Amy? " the Doctor asked, " you're Amelia. "

" Don't be so old fashioned, " Rose said, patting the Doctor's arm, " she's allowed to shorten her name. Clearly, she's Amy now. "

" Amelia Pond was a great name," the Doctor said - Lily wondered if this was a dad trait now - stubborn. Then again, hadn't it always been.

" Mrs Rosewood, these are my ... collegues," Amy said, unsure.

" Anyway," the Doctor said, crossing his arms as he looked at Amy, " what kind of job is a kissogram? "

Lily realised that his nature was extremely protective, as he was even getting this way about a girl they didn't even know particularly well.

" It's a wonderful job," Jack cut in, making the Doctor give him a "warning look."

" I go to parties, and I kiss people," Amy replied, blushing a little, " with outfits. It's fun. "

" Sounds it," Jack said, flashing her his most charming grin. Amy looked from Jack to Lily and back again, slightly confused. Clearly she'd rightly assumed that Jack and Lily were a couple, but Jack's flirtacious behavious was throwing her off.

" You were a little girl five minutes ago," the Doctor said, disapproval evident in his voice.

" You're worse than my aunt," Amy scowled.

" I'm the Doctor, I'm worse than everyone's aunt," he replied cooly, before turning to Mrs Rosewood, " And that's not how I'm introducing myself. "

" Um, the matter at hand? " Lily prompted, looking at her dad.

The Doctor nodded and got to work with the sonic screwdriver, sonicking the radio and tuning it to different channels to find them all taken over by the mysterious voice.

" They're broadcasting to the whole planet," the Doctor said, " Lily, if they're broadcasting to the entire planet, when do you think they'll be here? "

Lily frowned thinking about it, " Planet this big ... basic molten core. I reckon they'd need a 40 percent fission blast. "

" And they'll have to power up first," Rose chipping in, making the most of her half time lord brain.

Lily nodded, " Yeah. Assuming a medium star sized ship, 20 minutes, do you think? 20 minutes? "

" 20 minutes," the Doctor nodded, as a young man walked into the room. He looked to be in his mid-twenties, and he was very good looking, Lily couldn't help but notice.

" Yeah, twenty minutes," the Doctor repeated.

" Twenty minutes until what? " asked Amy anxiously.

" Are you the Doctor? " the good looking young man asked.

" He is, isn't he? " Mrs Rosewood said - Lily didn't have any idea how they'd know who the Doctor was, but she was intruiged. " He's the Raggedy Doctor! All those cartoons you did when you were little! And these three, they were in them too ... the world war two man, the blonde, the red head. Its them! "

" Shut up," Amy blushed.

" Cartoon? " the Doctor aked, raising his eyebrows.

" It's really him, isn't it Gran? " the young woman asked, staring. " I mean, the others were in the cartoon too, but not anywhere near as much as he was. "

" Shut it," Amy hissed, " 20 minutes until what? "

" The human residence," the Doctor said, voicing what all of his companions had figured out, " they're not talking about your house, they're talking about the planet. Somewhere up there, there's a spaceship. And it's going to incinerate the planet. Twenty minutes until the end of the world. "

They decided they needed to get out into the village to try and figure out a plan, and once they'd left the old woman's house, the Doctor looked around, checking on his daughter and son in law, just behind him, and with Rose at his side.

" What is the place? " the Doctor asked.

Lily shrugged, " I don't know, but it looks boring. "

The Doctor scoffed, raising his eyebrows at her, " You live in _Wales. _You're hardly at liberty to decide where is boring._ "_

" There's _nothing _boring about where I live," she replied indignantly

" Damned straight," Jack agreed.

Lily noticed Amy looking at them in confusion - no doubt she was trying to figure out the relations between them all. After all, the Doctor had already said Jack was his brother in law, and it was probably fairly obvious at Jack and Lily were a couple. Lily couldn't blame her for trying to figure out how a man with an upper class english accent could have a welsh sister, let alone how they'd met an east londoner and an american.

" We're in Leadworth, by the way," Amy said after a moment.

" Where's the rest of it? " the Doctor asked.

" This is it," Amy replied.

" Is there an airport? "

" No. "

" A nuclear power station? "

" No. "

" Nearest city? "

" Half an hour by car. "

" We don't have half an hour. Do we have a car? "

" No. "

Lily could feel the frustration radiating from him, and she felt exactly the same. The Doctor sighed heavily, " Brilliant. Just brilliant. Twenty minutes to save the world, and I've got a post office," he said, gesturing across the village, " and it's shut. What's that? " he added, walking away from them, leaving them all to follow.

" It's a duck pond," Amy shrugged, as they walked towards what did indeed look like a duck pond.

" Where are the ducks? " Rose asked.

" There's never any ducks," Amy shrugged.

" Then how d'you know it's a duck pond? " Rose continued, while the Doctor nodded, clearly impressed by this notion.

" I don't know, it just is! Is it important? "

" I don't know," the Doctor said, " could be. " As he finished talking, a shadow started to fall over them. They all looked up in time to see the shadow pass, but it became light again, although Lily thought the sun was left looking quite odd.

" What's happening? What's going on? " Amy asked.

" They're getting ready to boil the planet, I'd guess," Lily grimaced.

" This can't all be real," said Amy, shaking her head, as people in the village started to film the strange looking on their mobile phones, " this is all some kind of wind up, isn't it? "

" Why would it be a wind up? " asked the Doctor, confused, " why would I wind you up? "

" I don't know," Amy said, " but you would. When I was a little girl, you told me you had a time machine. "

Lily wondered how much the Doctor had told young Amelia Pond, when he and Rose went into her house, without Jack and Lily. The Doctor still looked confused, " And you believed me. "

" Then I grew up. "

The Doctor suddenly held up a hand to silence them all, as if he was trying to think very hard, and Lily wondered what was going on, what he'd figured out, and what kind of plans he'd be making. A moment later, he looked up, and nodded.

" 20 minutes," he said, " I can do this. 20 minutes, the planet burns. Amelia, run and say goodbye to your loved ones, or stay and help us. "

" Who are you? " Amy asked, glaring around at them all, " who are you? "

" You know who I am," the Doctor said, " I'm the Doctor, these are my friends and family. They travel with me. "

" No really, who are you? " she asked, shaking her head, " this can't all be real. "

" Amelia, we don't have time for this," said the Doctor, trying to make her see. He rolled his eyes and reached into his pocket. He pulled out an apple and tossed it to her.

Lily wasn't sure what the relevance of the apple was, but Amelia caught the apple and stared at it.

" I'm the Doctor," said the Doctor, " I'm a time traveller. Everything I told you twelve years ago is true. I'm real. What's happening in the sky is real, and if you don't let me go right now, everything you've ever known is over. "

" I don't believe you," Amelia said.

" Just believe me," said the Doctor, " look at me - just believe me for twenty minutes. Look at this apple - it's the one you gave me, smiley face carved into it, just live your mum used to do, and its as fresh as it was the day you gave it to me. It's the same one. "

After a very long pause, Amy nodded, " Fine. "

" What do we do, Doc? " Jack asked.

The Doctor looked around, and his eyes fixed on a young man some distance away. " We need to stop that nurse," he said. Lily followed the line of his vision, and saw that there was indeed a young man, in nurses scrubs, not too far away. " And don't call me Doc. "

" Why do we need to catch that nurse? " she asked.

" His phone," the Doctor said, " come on, catch that nurse. "

The Doctor started running, and Lily sighed - why were they always _always _running? The Doctor ran fast, he ran past the nurse, and swiftly stole his phone as he did so.

Lily stopped just behind her dad, Jack right at her side, and Rose and Amy were the last to catch up.

" What're you doing? " the man asked.

Lily noted that the man was quite good looking, and to annoy her husband, she mumbled in an undertone to him, " He's cute. "

Jack's only response was a chuckle, and thinking about what he'd said to her earlier, Lily added, " I'm serious - can we keep him? "

Jack smirked, repeating her words from earlier on, " Don't count on it. "

The Doctor held up the man's phone, " The Sun's going out, and you're photographing a man and a dog. Why? "

The man - who could only be in his early twenties - looked confused, but when his eyes settled on Amy, relieved. " Oh Amy!

" Um, hi," Amy grinned, " um, Doctor, everyone, this is Rory. He's um... a friend. "

" Boyfriend," Rory corrected, a little irritated.

" Yeah," Amy nodded, " kind of boyfriend. "

" Amy! " he said, exasperated.

" Pleased to meet you Rory," Jack said with one of his most charming grins - one he usually reserved for making an impression on people.

Rory looked a little confused, but he nodded, " Um, hi. "

Lily grinned, knowing many people were confused by Jack's style of dress, and his general nature. " Don't mind him," she told Rory, " he's a bit of an enigma. Hi, by the way. "

He looked at them all, thoroughly confused, and his shook his head, " Oh my God, it's them. It's ... it's him. "

" Just answer his question," Amy sighed.

" It's him though! The Doctor! The Raggedy Doctor! And the World War Two man, and the girls. "

Lily wondered exactly how many drawings Amy had done of the all - she seemed to have particularly fixated on the Doctor - clearly he'd made an impression.

" Yeah, they came back," Amy said.

Rory looked completely confused, and Lily couldn't blame him. " But he was a story - a game - "

The Doctor impatiently grabbed the front of Rory's shirt, " Man and a Dog! Tell me now! Why? "

" Because he can't be there," Rory said, shaking his head, " I was taking a picture of him to prove its him. Because he can't be there, because he's - "

" In the hospital, in a coma," the Doctor finished off, saying the words at the same time. He nodded and let go of Rory's shirt, " Knew it. Multiform, you see? Disguises itself as anything, but it need a lifefeed, a psychic link with a living, but dormant mind. "

Rory looked about to respond when they were interrupted by a dog barking.

They all turned to look, and found that the multiform creature was standing behind them, not too far away. Immediately the Doctor moved in front of them all, and he confronted the creature.

" Prisoner zero," he said.

" What? There's a Prisoner Zero too? " Rory asked, clearly confused by the fact there was a Doctor, and the rest of them, never mind this prisoner zero thing.

" Yes," Amy sighed, " it's a long story. "

Her point was punctuated by a big ship with an eyeball flying over them, and stopping to hover over the local church, before sending out some kind of beam that looked like it was scanning it.

" What's going on? " Jack asked Lily, instinctively reaching for her arm at the first sign of danger, as if he planned on pulling her away from any danger.

" Not sure," Lily admitted, hating not knowing what was going on.

The Doctor supplied, " That ship up there is scanning this area for non-terrestial technology." He pulled out his sonic screwdriver, " and nothing says non-terrestial like a sonic screwdriver. "

He pressed down a button, and they all waiting with anticipation. The result was streetlamps starting to explode, car alarms going off. A mobility scooter and a firetruck both took off without anyone driving them.

" What're you doing, D-Doctor? " Lily asked, once again stumbling over calling him Dad, because he seemed to far away from her Dad.

" Just trust me," he told her with an easy smile.

The man and the dog started to bark and growl. The Doctor aimed the sonic screwdriver at a nearby telephone box, which exploded, only for the screwdriver itself to explode and the Doctor to drop to his knees, scrabbling about to try and piece it back together.

The ship started to leave, and there was very little they could do about it. The Doctor roared at it, " It's going! No, come back! He's here! Come back - Prisoner Zero is here! Come back! "

Prisoner Zero - the man part of it, anyway - smirks, and it melted down into an orange substance and basically melted down the drain.

" It's just ... melted! " Rose said, pointing after it.

" Well, of course it has," the Doctor shrugged.

" So what do we do? " Amy shouted, before anyone else could say anything.

" It's hiding in human form," the Doctor said, " we need to drive it into the open. No TARDIS, no screwdriver, 17 minutes. "

" So what's the plan? " Lily asked,

The Doctor frowned a little, " I'm not quite sure. Don't worry though, I'm sure I'll think of something. "

" Very reassuring," Jack droned, earning himself a jab in the side from his wife. He smirked a little and they all fell into silence as they looked at the drain that Prisoner Zero had disappeared down.

" So," Amy said, breaking their short silence, " that thing was hiding in my house for 12 years? "

" Oh yeah," the Doctor said, " but it would have been nothing to that creature. Multiforms can live for a millenia. "

" So how come you just happened to show up the same time that thing did? " Amy asked.

" It was probably following me," the Doctor said, " they tend to ... these alien creatures. They saw me through the crack in your bedroom wall, and followed me. "

" What's he talking about? " asked Rory.

" Nurse boy, give me your phone," the Doctor commanded.

" Rory," Lily corrected.

The Doctor turned to look at her and she shrugged, " That's his name. " Looking at Rory, she added, " I'm Lily, by the way. " Jerking her thumb towards Jack, she added, " and this is Jack. "

" That's _Captain _Jack," Jack corrected, " but you _can _call me Jack. "

When Rory looked bemused, Lily told him, " You'll have to excuse my husband. He tends to make quite the impression. "

On the word _husband_, Amy smiled. It was obvious really, she supposed. They were even wearing wedding rings, and they seemed to gravitate towards each other.

" Oh, and I'm Rose," Rose said.

" How can you all be _real? " _Rory asked, shaking his head " you were never real - it was always just a game! "

" Phone, now, give me," the Doctor said, holding out his hand.

" You made me dress up as him! " Rory exclaimed, forcing Lily to stifle a giggle at the thought of it behind her hand.

The Doctor was looking through Rory's phone, at the photographs he'd taken, " These are all coma patients," he said, " except they're all multiform too. Eight comas, eight disguises for Prisoner Zero. "

" But the dog," Amy frowned, " there can't be a dog in a coma? "

" Don't be silly," the Doctor said, " the coma patient dreams he's walking a dog, Prisoner Zero get a dog. Laptop! " he suddenly exclaimed, looking at Amy, " your friend, what was his name. Not this one," he added, pointing at Rory, " the good looking one. "

" Thanks," Rory mumbled.

" Jeff," Amy said, before Rory could argue anymore.

" Your friend had a laptop in his bag," said the Doctor, " he had a biiiiig laptop. I need Jeff's laptop! Rory, Amy, get to the hospital. Get everyone out of that ward, clear the floor, and call me when you're done. "

" And us? " Lily asked.

" Staying with me," the Doctor said instantly.

" I'm not a child," she said, " it doesn't take four of us to go look at someone's laptop. Why don't Jack and I go to the hospital with these two?"

The Doctor frowned, " I'd really rather you stayed with me. "

Lily sighed - she and Jack were so used to going off and doing their own thing now, and she wanted to be able to do something. She smirked a little when she realised something, " You can't tell me what to do," she said, " I'm older than you. "

The Doctor narrowed his eyes- this wasn't true of course, but she looked older than him, and it would certainly look very odd to Rory and Amy, that he was bossing her around.

" Fine," he said after a pause, " but ring me if you need me. "

As the Doctor and Rose started in one direction, Amy turned to Rory, " Your car," she said.

Rory shook his head, " How can the Doctor be here? "

" Let's just get in the car," Amy said, shaking her head as she strode off. The others followed, and Amy led them to Rory's car. Jack and Lily got in the back, and as they started to drive off, Roy said,

" So, The Doctor seems pretty protective of you. "

Lily shrugged it off, " Well, I suppose it's just a brother thing. "

" Oh, he's your brother? " Rory asked, looking as if he was trying to picture the two of them together, " you don't look much alike. "

" I'll take that as a compliment," Lily shrugged.

Rory frowned, " But you're Welsh. How is he your brother, if you're welsh? "

Lily didn't really have an answer, but she tried to come up with one, " Oh, um, I met Jack a long time ago, and he was living in Wales, so I moved to Wales, and I've just been there that long that I have the accent now."

Rory didn't look convinced, but made no further comment.

When they got to the hospital, they hurried inside, Rory leading the way.

They rushed up to the ward they needed to be on, pushing past a crowd of people, but once they got to the ward, there were security officers by the lift. When Rory approached them, he say something the others couldn't hear, and when he came back, he shook his head.

" They won't let us through. "

" Of course they will," said Jack confidently, " Lily, get your paper out. "

" Oh," she grinned, realising she had some psychic paper in her pocket, and starting to pull it out.

Jack nodded, " Just flash that at them. Amy, you've got a police uniform on you, and we can pretend to be detectives. They'll let us through. "

Lily grinned, " Good thinking. "

She led them forwards, and told them she was a detective, flashing her psychic paper, and the security officer looked from her to Amy, and then nodded, stepping aside to let them in the lift.

" What did that paper say? " Amy asked, as they pressed the button on the lift.

Lily grinned, " That's the great thing about it. It can say anything I want it to say. "

" _How_? " Rory asked, looking completely confused.

" Magic," Lily shrugged.

Once upstairs, they rushed out of the lift and found themselves in an abandoned ward. They'd come here to clear the ward, yet it was already clear - though it looked a complete mess. Something had to have happened up here.

Suddenly a woman, hold the hands on two young girls who must be her daughters, rounded the corner and stopped just in front of them, " Officer! " she cried, on seeing Amy.

" What's happened here? " Jack asked, stepping forward, so he was a little in front of the others.

" There was a man," the woman said, " a man with a dog. I think Dr Ramsden's dead, and the nurses. "

Lily was already pulling out her phone, and started to ring her dad. He answered the phone almost immediately, " Lily, are you alright? Are you in? "

She could hear the sound of sirens in the background, and replied, " Yeah, but Prisoner Zero is here somewhere too. "

" Get out of there. Lils, get out of there _now," _came his command.

While he was talking to her, she was watching the woman talking to them. The woman seemed to be ranting at Jack, " He was so angry, he kept shouting, and that dog. The size of that dog. "

Amy nudged Lily, and Lily realised that although the woman was talking, her mouth wasn't moving, but the mouth of one of her daughters was. This was wrong. Prisoner Zero was standing right in front of them.

Jack seemed to realise at the same time, as he edged more in front of Rory, Amy and Lily, but started to slowly back away. Lily had lowered the phone, though she hadn't ended the call.

" Oh," the woman suddenly said, " I'm getting it wrong again, aren't I? " The voice shifted back to the woman, like it should be, " I'm always doing that. So many mouths. "

Prisoner Zero suddenly bared its teeth - the woman and both daughters - and Jack looked over his shoulder at Lily. " Run? " he asked.

" Run," she confirmed, turning on her heel and prompting Rory and Amy to do the same. She could hear her dad's voice from the phone as they all ran, but she was too busy running for her life. They rounded a corner, and once they reached the end of the ward, Jack slammed the doors after them, and Rory spotted a nearby broom, shoving it through the handles of the doors.

" What do we do? " Amy demanded, wide eyed, while Rory looked as though he was completely freaking out - not that he could be blamed.

Lily felt her phone in her hand and heard her dad shouting through it. She raised it to her ear, " So we found Prisoner Zero," she said, " and it found us. We've hut it out, but it won't take much to get to us. "

" Ok, darling don't panic. Which window are you? "

She frowned, looking at the window at the other end of the room. " Rory, which window? "

" Huh? "

" Quickly, which window? "

" Umm," Rory eventually replied, " first on the left, fourth floor. "

Lily repeated this down the phone, just as the broom handle broke, and Prisoner Zero was standing in front of them, baring its teeth.

" Oh dear little Amelia Pond," it said, " I've watched you grow up. 12 years and you never even knew I was there. Little Amelia Pond. Waiting for her magic doctor to return. But not this time Amelia. " Prisoner Zero then turned to Lily, " and you, little Time Lord, stood here as if you were human, when you're so much more. "

Lily was unsure what to do, whe her phone buzzed in her hand and she got a text - it read "Duck!", and she shouted, " Duck! " whilst grabbing Jack's arm and ducking, pulling him with her.

Rory and Amy ducked too and they heard a siren. Moment later, the top of a ladder crashed through the top of the window. Kind of an anti-climax, Lily thought, but in all fairness, the ladder probably would have hit them if they hadn't gotten out of the way.

Rose and the Doctor climbed up the ladder and through the window, and the Doctor clapped his hand together. " Right," he said, " Three minutes to go, still time. "

" Time for what, Time Lord? " asked Prisoner Zero.

" Take the disguise off," the Doctor commanded, " they'll find you in a heartbeat. Nobody dies. "

" The Atraxi will kill me this time," Prisoner Zero said, obviously speaking of the spaceship, " If I am to die, let there be fire. "

The Doctor stepped forwards, " You came to this world by opening a crack in space and time. Do it again. Just leave. "

" I did not open the crack," Prisoner Zero said, leaving them all looking at each, not quite sure what to think now. Someone must have opened it, Lily thought, but who?

Clearly the Doctor was thinking the same, as he said, " Someone must have opened it. "

Prisoner Zero chuckled, " The cracks in the skin of the universe - don't you know where they came from? You don't, do you? The universe is cracked - the Pandorica will open. Silence will fall. "

Lily frowned and noticed Jack looking at her, but she shook her head - she was as confused about it as he was.

The Doctor suddenly seemed to notice something behind Prisoner Zero and his expression lightened up, " Aaaand we're off. Look at that! "

He raised a finger to point and they all turned to look at it. A clock on the wall had reset itself, and was now reading "0:00."

" Yeah, I know," the Doctor said, " just a clock, whatever, but d'you know what's happening right now? In one little bedroom, a new friend of mine is working together with a few old friends from across the world. Jeff and the rest of the world. And they're spreading the word. All over the world, the word it out. And d'you know what word is? "

Lily couldn't resist a grin as she watched her dad - she saw a flash of the man he'd always been. Solving mysteries, ridding the world of villians, and ending it with a brilliant speech, to show just how clever he was.

" The word is zero," the Doctor said, " Now, me, if I was up in the sky in a battleship, monitoring all Earth communications, I'd probably take that as a hint. And if I had a whole battlefleet surrounding the planet, I'd be able to track a simple old computer virus to its source in what ... under a minute? The source, by the way, is right here. "

He pulled a phone out of his pocket - Rory's, that he'd taken from him earlier. After a slight pause, there were blinding white lights at the windows.

" I think they just found us," the Doctor said.

Sure enough, outside the window one of the Atraxi ships was hovering, shining a spotlight directly on them.

Prisoner Zero said, " The Axtraxi are limited. While I'm in this form, they are unable to detect me. They tracked the phone, not me. "

" Yeah! " the Doctor grinned, " but this is the good bit. I mean this is my favourite bit. Do you know what this phone is full of? Pictures of you. Every form you've learned to take, right here. Oh, and being uploaded ... now. And the final score is, no TARDIS, no screwdriver, two minutes to spare ... Who da man? "

There was an awkward silence, and even Prisoner Zero looked unimpressed. Lily felt like she could cringe, and the Doctor sighed, " Ok, that didn't go well. I'm never saying that again. "

" I shall take a new form," Prisoner Zero announced.

" Oh, you know you can't," the Doctor shrugged, " takes months to form that kind of psychic link. "

" And I've had years," Prisoner Zero replied smugly. And with that, the creature started to glow completely orange, and beside Lily, Amy collapsed to the ground.

" Amy! " Rory cried, while Lily, stood closest to her, dropped to her knees beside her, and tried to shake her awake, to no effect. The Doctor also crouched down beside Amy, while the other looked on, concerned.

" Amy, come on, please stay awake," the Doctor pleaded.

" Doctor! " came Rose's anxious voice.

The Doctor looked up, as did Lily, to be met with the sight of the Doctor. Or more accurately, Prisoner Zero, taking on the form of the Doctor.

" Well, what's that supposed to be? " the Doctor asked, frowning.

" It's you," Lily said.

" Is that what I looked like? " he asked, bemused.

" You don't _know? " _a still confused Rory asked.

" Busy day," the Doctor replied, rising to his feet, to face the identical Prisoner Zero, " why me though? You're linked with her. "

" I'm not," came the response, as Prisoner Zero mutated - this time it was still the Doctor, but with the young Amelia Pond holding his hand.

" Poor Amy Pond," Prisoner Zero said, " still such a child inside. Dreaming of the magic Doctor she knows will return to save her. What a disappointment you've been. You and your friends. "

" No. She's dreaming about me, because she can hear me. " Turning to Amy, the Doctor commanded, " Amy, don't hear me, just listen. Remember the room, the room in your house you couldn't see. You went into the room, inside the room. Amy, dream about what you saw. "

Prisoner Zero roared his protests, and glowed orange once again. This time it turned into the form Amy had seen it in in her house. Its true form.

The light on the window intensified, and Prisoner Zero hisses as the Axtraxi announced, " Prisoner Zero is located. Prisoner Zero is restrained. "

Prisoner Zero turned to look at the Doctor one final time, " Silence, Doctor, Silence will fall. "

Then it faded into nothing, and from the window they saw the Atraxi ship powering up and leaving. The Doctor didn't look too pleased though, somehow.

"So it's over? " Rory asked eagerly, before leaning down to Amy and asking if she was ok. Amy slowly woke up and shook her head, " What happened? " she asked.

" He did it," Rory replied, " the Doctor did it. "

" No I didn't," the Doctor replied, pulling out the mobile phone, " I'm tracking the signal back. Sorry in advance, by the way. "

" About what? " Rory asked.

" The bill," the time lord replied, causing Rory to groan. Into the phone, the Doctor said, " Oi! I didn't say you could go! Article 57 of the Shadow Proclamation. This is a fully esablished level 5 planet, and you were gonna burn it? What, did you think no-one was watching? Back here, now. "

He ended the call and tossed the phone to Rory, " There," he said triumphantly, " now I've done it. "

He started to wander off, and Rose was the first to speak, " What's he doing? " she asked, " Lily, what's he doing? Is this what he's going to be like from now on? Is he going to just go around not telling us what he's doing? "

" That's what he's always done, and you know it," Lily smiled, " best bet is to just follow him. "

They all started to follow him, whe he suddenly announced, " We're going to the roof! No, wait! " He suddenly turned off in a different direction, " this is a cloakroom! "

Once inside, he started scrabbling around, picking up odd pieces of clothing, holding onto come, and tossing others over his shoulder.

" Why are we in here? " Amy asked.

" I'm saving the world, and my clothes are all raggedy from the ... well, from things. Not to mention the crash land. I need a decent shirt," he replied, as though it were obvious.

" You've just summoned the aliens back! " Rory cried, outraged, " actual deadly aliens! Aliens of death and ... and ... " he broke off, as they all watched the Doctor take off his coat, " and now you're stripping off. "

As the Doctor pulled his tie off, Rory nudged Amy, " He's taking his clothes off. "

" Hey! " Lily sighed in exasperation, as he started unfastening his belt, " bit of warning before you start stripping off, please. "

The Doctor pulled an apologetic face, " Sorry, darling. Turn your back, if it embarasses you. "

She certainly turned her back, and she noticed that Rory did at the exact same time.

" Are you not going to turn your back? " Rory asked, noticing that Amy hadn't moved.

" Nope," came the smug response, which made Lily have to supress a smirk. She had to admit she quite liked this young woman. Then she realised that Jack hadn't turned around either, she turned to the side to look at him, and found him staring in her dad's direction with an appreciative smile on his face.

" Jack? " she asked, unable to believe the man had no shame, though she supposed she should be used to it.

" Shush baby, you're distracting me from the view," Jack said, a cheeky smirk on his face.

" Jack! That's your father in law! "

" Father in law? " Amy asked, turning to face Lily, confusion on her face, and also on Rory's.

Lily realised she'd given them away and shrugged it off - they'd already met aliens and the Doctor had told Amy he was a time traveller. They'd already given themselves away hadn't they? " It's complicated," she replied.

From behind her somewhere, the Doctor huffed, " I take offence at that. There's nothing complicated about the fact that you're my daughter, and he's your husband, hence he's my son-in-law. "

Lily sighed, " Let's not get ito it now. Weren't you trying to save the world or something? "

" Ah yes," the Doctor said, suddenly sweeping past them all. He was wearing a new shirt, a bow tie, and a tweed jacket, as well as several ties draped around him, which weren't tied. He was a pair of brown trousers too.

He led them onto the roof, and the Atraxi ship was already waiting for them.

" They were leaving," Amy sighed, " why did you have to bring them back? "

" Leaving is good," the Doctor agreed, " but never coming back is so much better. " Looking up at the Atraxi ship, he yelled, " Come on! Come on! The Doctor will see you now! "

His words caused the eye in the Atraxi ship to come away from the ship, and come down to hover in front of the Doctor, as if examining him.

" You are not of this world," it finally said.

" No, but I've put a lot of work into it," the Doctor told it firmly.

" Is this world important? " asked the Atraxi.

The Doctor shook his head, " Important? Important? Six billion people live here, is that important? Here's a better question - is this world a threat to the Atraxi? " As he spoke, he fiddled with the ties around his neck and one by one, pulled them off and through them over his shoulder. Each one managed to hit Rose, Lily, Jack, Rory or Amy. " Come on, you're monitoring the whole planet. Is this world a threat? "

" No. "

" Are the people of this world guilty of any crime by the laws of the Atraxi? " he asked.

" No. "

" Okay, one more, one more. Is this world protected? " the Doctor asked.

Lily thought of all the times that the Doctor had saved the world, and the Atraxi projected a hologram, flicking through all the creatures that the Doctor had ridded the world of. The hologram then projected an image of each of the Doctor's regenerations, as the Doctor stood in front of Lily, pulled off the last time, and was left wearing only a bow tie with his shirt and jacket.

When the hologram got to an image of the most recent Doctor, it suddenly disappeared.

The Doctor grinned, " Hello I'm the Doctor. Basically, run. "

The eye looked terrified as it widened, and it very quickly attatched itself back to the ship, and the ship fled. They all stared after it, and as Rory and Amy professed their joy that it had gone, Lily felt something in her pocket burning.

She reached into her pocket and pulled out her key to the TARDIS, which was glowing. She saw Jack also examining his, as were Rose and the Doctor. They all knew what this meant.

" Race you back," the Doctor suddenly said, looking up at them all.

As soon as he'd said it, they were all off running - well, the four time travellers. A confused Rory and Amy were left staring after the, unaware of what was going on.

Lily ran as fast as she could, and she laughed as Jack tore in front of her, and was catching up with the Doctor. She was neck and neck with Rose and she forced herself to run faster, her key still gripped in her fist.

She got to Amy's back garden just in time to see the Doctor's hand land on the door of the TARDIS, seconds before Jack's. Lily arrived there third, Rose only just behind her.

" Ok, what have you got for me this time? " the Dcotor mumbled, rushing to unlock it.

He pushed the door open, and they all walked in. Lily stared around - it looked bigger than ever before, and was all bathed in blue and orange. At one end of the console room, the double doors that led to the many other rooms of the TARDIS were there as before. At another side of the console were a set of stairs that led to a platform, and another set of stairs leading back down.

" Oh, you sexy thing," the Doctor said.

Rose giggled a little, shaking her head at him, " I'm not sure that's the word I'd use, but it's looking pretty good. "

" What do you think? " the Doctor asked, moving over to the repaired console, " shall we take it for a spin? "

" What about Rory and Amy? " Rose asked, raising her eyebrows, " Amelia Pond waited 12 years for you to come back for her, because you promised her she could come travelling with us. Ad you're going to run out on her? "

" Don't be silly," the Doctor said, " I'm coming back for her. She deserves an explanation at least, and we'll save to see how we all feel about an offer of travelling, but let's go for a test run. You two, do you fancy an exotic trip? "

Lily knew exactly where she wanted to go and she looked at Jack, who nodded, knowing exactly what she was thinking. They'd both dealt with so much, and after only just having the Master return and scare the hell out of them, and then this new Doctor, they just wanted to go home. Especially as they were only just getting back on track after the 456 incident and their baby and fall out.

" D-Doctor," she said, still struggling to think of him as her dad full, " you know we love travelling with you, but it's been a rough couple of months, with one thing and another, and yesterday added to it. We need to go home, and carry on rebuilding our base, setting up our new home, and just ... get back to normal. "

The Doctor looked a little disappointed, but he nodded, " Of course," he said, " should have realised you'd want to get home. How's the day after I picked you up? "

" Sounds good to me," Lily said, to which Jack nodded.

The Doctor nodded, set about sorting the dates, and finally pulled the level, allowing the TARDIS to take flight for the first time with its new interior.

Once it was in flight, the Doctor said, " Lily, how about we have a little chat? "

Lily nodded - she had a feeling she knew exactly what he wanted to talk about, and she knew she needed to come to terms with it properly. She'd always been so close to her dad, and she hated that his newest regeneration had thrown her off. " Yeah," she said, " um ... yeah. "

The Doctor gave her a gentle smile, " Come on," he said, nodding towards the double doors.

Lily glanced at Jack, knowing he would have Rose in stitches the moment they left the room, with one of his usual outrageous stories, and followed her dad towards the double doors. Once through them, they realised that the interior of the TARDIS here looked pretty much the same as it always had.

" Living room," the Doctor said, pushing open the first door on the left to see that it was no longer the living room, but the library. " Oh, the rooms have been rearranged. Still, this is nice. "

He moved over to sit on the red leather sofa in the middle of the library and his daughter followed.

She waited for him to speak first, and after a pause, during which the Doctor stared at the floor, he turned to look at her.

" I'm still your dad," he said.

She nodded, " I know. "

" Do you? " he asked leaning forward slightly, " Not that I blame you, but it just feels like something isn't right between us. "

Lily sighed, eyes locked on his, knowing she couldn't keep any secrets from him. " I'm having a little trouble adjusting," she admitted.

The Doctor smiled, " Darling, you don't need me to tell you that I'm the same person. You've seen enough regenerations, even been through one of your own, to know that although the person alters a bit, it's essentially the same underneath it all. "

" I know, I know," she said, " I know exactly what I should be thinking, but I can't get my head around it. I mean look at you, you're so ... different. And you've had the nerve to be younger than me. "

" Well _you _had the nerve to be ginger," he retorted.

She couldn't resist a grin, and she said, " I am coming to terms with it, you know. There were moments today when I thought, this is him. When you sent the Atraxi packing, I thought this is him. "

" Please," the Doctor said, his eyes never leaving hers, " I love you to bits. I need my daughter, don't I? "

She sighed, " I just can't believe you regenerated. It's just difficult to deal with. "

" I'm still me," the Doctor said, " and I always will be. " He reached out and took hold of her hands, squeezing it tightly, eyes still locked on hers.

The Doctor said, " I'm the man who held you in his arms when you were minutes old. I hugged you for ages every night after your mother died, tucked you into bed, told you a story, just like she used to do. I'm the same man who took you all across the stars. Saved us from all those monsters ... though admittedly led you to them in the first place. Helped you meet all those wonderful people. Held you in my arms every time you needed me. I'm the man who walked you down the aisle at your wedding, and I'm the man who would do anything to protect you."

As he spoke, Lily realised that he'd always, always been there for her. She saw the sincerity in his eyes and she sighed, " I'm sorry, Dad," she said, " I'm sorry I didn't accept you straight away. "

The Doctor grinned, " That's my girl. Come here," he added, opening his arms for her.

She happily hugged him, and their hug was long. They broke apart with identical grins on their faces, and there was a pause, before Lily became more serious.

" I should be thanking you actually," she said.

The Doctor raised his hand to silence her, " There's no need. "

" There's every need," she replied quickly, " Jack could have gone into that radiation booth instead of you, and you wouldn't have had to regenerate. But you didn't think about yourself, you thought about me and Jack, and what him going into that booth could mean for us. Thank you. "

" There was never any doubt in my mind about what I was going to do," the Doctor told her, " now come on, let's get you home. "

She smiled and stood up, and he stood up too, offering out his arm to her. She took it easily enough and they walked back to the console room comfortably.

When they got there, Jack and Rose were talking, and they looked up when they saw Lily and the Doctor enter the room.

" Everything alright? " Jack asked carefully.

" Everything's fine, isn't it Dad? " Lily asked.

The Doctor grinned, happy that everything was going to be alright and nodded, before looking around, " We've landed," he said, " I expect you two will be wanting to go home, won't you? "

Jack looked at Lily, " I think we're going to be getting everything in order to move into our new house. Sounds very grown up, doesn't it? "

The Doctor grinned and walked towards the doors, he pushed them open, to reveal the familiar Cardiff Bay. It was getting dark outside - to be expected for an evening in October - and Lily followed her dad out.

" So," the Doctor said, turning to his son in law and daughter, " look after yourselves. Stay out of trouble. Don't do anything I wouldn't do. Ring me if you need me. And please just be happy - you two of all people deserve that. "

Lily sighed and threw herself at him, making him engulf her in a warm hug. When they broke apart, Lily turned to Rose. Jack and the Doctor were now engaged in conversation, and Lily and Rose were a little aside from them.

" So, how do you feel about it all? " Lily asked her old friend.

Rose sighed, almost wistfully, as she spoke quietly, " I love him as he was. And he's so different now isn't he? Doesn't quite seem like my Doctor, but I'm sure I'll manage. He's still mine really, isn't he? "

" Yes, he is," Lily said, before the two women hugged, " look about him - I'd tell you to keep yourselves out of trouble, but we all know there's no point even saying it. I'm sure we'll see you soon enough. "

When they'd said goodbye, Lily looked at her dad, " So, where are you going now? "

" Oh, quick spin I think," he said, " and then back to see Amy Pond. "

Lily nodded, " Well, bye for now, Dad. "

" Bye darling. "

The Doctor and Rose turned around and headed for the TARDIS, and Jack took Lily's hand, lacing his fingers through hers. They were about to walk away, when Lily heard her name being called from behind her.

She looked over her shoulder to see her dad pointing at his bow tie, " What do you think? Shall I keep it? "

She grinned, " Oh yeah. Bow ties are _cool_. "

With that, she looked back at Jack, " Home? " she asked.

" And where exactly is home? " he pondered, " the hub? Ianto's, where we've lived the past 4 months? Our new house that we can't move into yet? "

" Home, Captain Harkness, is any place where you are, and I am," she replied.

Jack chuckled, running his thumb across her wedding band as they walked hand in hand, " Mrs Harkness, I like the way you think. "

* * *

**Author's Note: Think this is the longest chapter I've ever written but I couldn't find a decent place to cut it in half - glad it's finally done!  
I'm thinking of writing Rose out of the story, because I really can't see her with the 11th Doctor, but I don't want her to die. I'm thinking of doing something with the Doctor's old hand, so he could create her a 10th Doctor clone or something, like they did in the series. I'm kind of wishing I'd just left her where she was. I know there will probably be many people who want Rose to stay, but I'm not so sure.  
Anyway, Rose and the Doctor are unlikely to play a big part in the immediate sequel to this story.  
As for River Song, it's been pointed out that she's a lot like Jack, but I don't think I can make her Jack and Lily's daughter, because after everything they've been through, having their child taken away as a newborn would be pretty horrible.**


	26. Note

Author's Note

That's the end of the 6th Jack and Lily story! Thanks to everyone who reviewed, or put my story on story alert, favourited it, or put me on author alert or favourite author.

The next story will probably be short, and just show Jack and Lily doing normal things, because they're always rushing around. I'm thinking of including Christmas, their wedding anniversary, Valentines day, maybe a visit from Mickey and Martha, and Gwen's pregnancy. And probably a couple of trips with the Doctor - meeting River Song etc. This will be called the Blissful Adventures of the Doctor's Daughter, and the first chapter is already up - it'll be on my profile.

After that story could possibly be the set up to Miracle Day, and the whole Miracle Day thing, if I do that, but it's not set in stone yet.

Feel free to let me know if there's anything you'd like to see in the story, or just any ideas you've got.


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